This question left the Chaldea team speechless. After all, weren't all summoned Heroic Spirits supposed to be motivated by saving the Human Order?
"At a time like this... shouldn't Miss Hakuno be more concerned about how to get back home?"
Gudako put herself in Hakuno's shoes. If she were in the same situation, she would be desperate to return home.
"Alright... then could you please send me back?"
Even after hearing all this, Hakuno showed no signs of panic.
"This kind of thing... it's probably not that simple," Da Vinci replied. Summoning a living person as a Heroic Spirit was already highly irregular. Chaldea did possess Heroic Spirit Repatriation technology, but that was designed to return servants to the Throne of Heroes, compressing their residual magical power into Mana Prisms.
Although Hakuno's body had been largely transformed into magical energy, she was still fundamentally a living human being. She couldn't simply return to the Throne of Heroes. Compressing her wouldn't yield a Mana Prism, but rather a jar of human remains.
"Then what's the difference between working here and working at a convenience store?" Hakuno asked, remarkably calm.
"Aren't you worried at all...?" Gudako pressed again. This wasn't just a trip abroad; they had been pulled into another world altogether.
"Summer vacation is still long. I have plenty of time to wait for a way back," Hakuno said, resting her chin in her hand. "If there was a way to get here, there must be a way to return to my original world. I don't understand much about magic, so I'll leave it to you all."
"Returning to your original world involves traveling between Parallel Worlds..."
Romani, visible as a projection, had found a possible solution. He turned his gaze to Jiang You, the only male Servant present.
"Theoretically, only the Second Magic can achieve this. However, the Magician of the Second Magic traverses all Parallel Worlds, so unless he manifests himself, that path is unavailable. But we do have a unique Servant here who might be able to help you."
Seeing all eyes turn toward him, Jiang You knew they were placing their hopes on him. To avoid shouldering excessive expectations, he felt compelled to explain his abilities in detail. "Now is indeed the time to explain my dimensional travel mechanism. While it's true I can move between Parallel Worlds, I don't think I can actively initiate a journey to a new one. I need someone in that world to consent to my arrival before I can gain the authority to cross over. Mash, remember when you first met me? I recognized you right away, but only after I explicitly sought your permission the second time did I successfully cross over to your world."
"Now that you mention it... you're right."
Mash recalled the circumstances of their first encounter. If Jiang You could have come so easily, there wouldn't have been any need to summon her through a Duel.
"In other words, the current situation is this: I want to send Zabiko back to her world, but first, Zabiko needs to return to her world. Only then can I obtain the coordinates to send her back. But she can't return right now, so..."
Jiang You shrugged helplessly. This was like needing to graduate from Karazhan to raid Karazhan—a paradoxical Catch-22.
"Unless I've already traveled to her world once before. But that's clearly impossible."
"Then how can we contact someone from Miss Kishinami's world? Also, what does 'Zabiko' mean?"
Mash genuinely wanted to help, but she was also curious about Jiang You's way of addressing Hakuno Kishinami.
"It's a bit complicated to explain. Just think of it as an affectionate nickname," Jiang You replied. He couldn't explain that it was a reference to a dialogue option in the game—the same kind of fourth-wall-breaking quirk as "Gudako," a nickname derived from the game's transliteration.
"An affectionate nickname?"
Hakuno glanced at Jiang You. Although her "hunting range" was broad and Jiang You's looks fell within her preferences, his overly familiar manner still made her silently distance herself.
As the group discussed, Nero finally understood Hakuno's situation. Finding it impossible to remain angry at an ordinary high school girl who wasn't even a Heroic Spirit, she declared:
"Hmm! Then let's save the Human Order while helping this little girl find her way home!"
"If we're judging by appearance alone," Jiang You remarked, "you're the one who looks more like a little girl."
This time, Nero didn't bristle. She puffed out her ample chest and slapped it proudly, causing a surging wave-like motion.
"My charm needs no proof! Compared to me, you're definitely a little girl!"
Jiang You privately thought Fairy Gawain was still taller, but he couldn't say that aloud. Nero's height of just over 150 centimeters created an even greater visual impact, especially with Hakuno's gaze glued to her. No wonder all the Masters unanimously agree she has the personality of a middle-aged man, Jiang You mused. Truly a man-eater and woman-eater in every sense of the word.
"See? Even you are captivated by my charm!"
Nero completely disregarded Hakuno's gaze, treating it as a given. If she cared about propriety, her skirt wouldn't have that large transparent panel in the front, brazenly revealing her snow-white thighs and inner lining. Instead, she took a few steps closer to Hakuno, boldly flaunting her... ahem... charms.
"If you admire me so much, I might just have a flower boy position open by my side."
Despite the initial chaos, the welcome banquet proceeded as planned. Jiang You provided an abundance of fresh ingredients, causing the Chaldea staff—who normally relied on frozen food or hunting trips to small Singularities with Gudako and Mash—to salivate with envy. Except for those on duty, nearly everyone crowded into the dining hall, which had never been so packed before.
The core staff of Chaldea occupied the largest table, consisting almost entirely of Servants, with Gudako and Romani counting as one and a half.
Nero finally had a chance to examine Jiang You closely.
"So, Lord Divine Ancestor summoned me through the effect of your Noble Phantasm?" Nero asked, approaching him with her wine glass. For the banquet, she had donned a rose-pink evening gown adorned with black embellishments, resembling a night-blooming rose.
"That's right," Jiang You confirmed.
Though he hadn't witnessed the duel between Romulus and the Beast, it was only natural that Romulus would be accompanied by a cohort of Roman emperors, including Nero.
"Then I must express my sincere gratitude to you," Nero declared.
Nero's face beamed with delight. Jiang You's Noble Phantasm had granted her the rare opportunity to connect with the God Ancestor and meet her predecessors and uncle—a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a Heroic Spirit. She thumped her chest proudly. "Speak your request freely! Anything within my power shall be granted!"