Girl, Eggplant Girl
The girl was a test-tube baby raised by Chaldea, her magical aptitude prioritized at the cost of her physical lifespan.
She lived in isolation for fourteen years; her actual time spent outside and exposed to the world was only two years.
And even during those two years, she was constantly fighting to save humanity.
Although she studied and learned, inside, she still possessed the pure heart of a child.
Due to an experiment where she was forcibly fused with a Heroic Spirit, her already short lifespan deteriorated further — she could live no more than eighteen years.
Then, when an explosion occurred, she was on the verge of death, but the Heroic Spirit within her saved her, allowing her to survive as a Demi-Servant.
However, the fusion with the Heroic Spirit did not stop the degeneration of her cells.
The girl was destined to die. Or rather, her very birth was intended from the beginning to result in a self-sacrifice at a critical moment.
In the Temple of Time, the girl raised her shield and stood alone at the front, blocking Goetia's Noble Phantasm for the senpai she admired...
After hearing Mash's story, Yukinoshita Yui froze in place and asked softly, "So the story in this game... are these all things you actually experienced, Mash?"
"Yes. About ninety percent of it is true. Also, the shop manager of a certain store was a bit glorified," Mash answered honestly.
"Uu... Mash, what a good girl, such a good girl..." Yui suddenly stood up, hugged Mash tightly, and gently stroked her kouhai's head as tears rolled down her own cheeks.
"Yui-senpai?" Mash, suddenly hugged, spoke in confusion.
"Hey hey, Yui, why are you suddenly hugging your kouhai and crying? You're the senpai here," Shirou said helplessly. Though he understood her feelings — perhaps this was just the kind way this sweet dango girl expressed herself.
"Because... because, when I think of Mash-chan, trembling as she raised her shield to block a monster... even knowing she would die, she still stood in front of everyone.
Such a delicate girl, just wanting to live like a normal person but unable to..." Yui held Mash close, gently stroking her head while crying.
The girl with the dango hairstyle spoke incoherently, as if desperately trying to share even a little of the burden that the girl had endured.
"Mash-chan, from today onward, treat me as your big sister! I'll do everything I can to help you, so don't worry about anything," Yui said seriously while hugging the pink-haired girl tightly.
"Yui-senpai... I'm actually living a very happy life now," Mash, hugged warmly, also reached out to embrace this gentle "sister," feeling warmth inside and smiling softly as she spoke.
The two girls hugged each other tightly, neither letting go for a long time.
"Mash! Shirou! Yukino!" Yui suddenly shouted loudly.
"Yes!?" the three of them replied in surprise.
Yui shed her usual playful demeanor. Though her eyes still glistened with tears, her gaze was firm and sincere as she spoke slowly and clearly: "We must — absolutely must — help Mash save Chaldea! And reunite her with Gudako-chan and the rest of the Chaldea team!"
Shirou was stunned for a moment upon hearing Yui's words, but then thought — yes, she's always been this kind.
Shirou smiled lightly, then replied with resolve: "Of course!"
Yukino gently brushed back her hair, calm and sincere as she spoke: "Hmm... Since I've already agreed to help, it wouldn't be my style to stop before we reach the perfect result."
"Thank you! I knew I could count on you, Yukino~!" Yui happily jumped over and rubbed her face against the black-haired girl.
"Don't hug me like that! Aren't you hot?" Yukino said shyly.
"Thank you! I love all you senpai the most!" Mash, gathering her courage, also opened her arms and joined the group hug.
"Geez! I said it's hot!" Yukino reacted like a cat annoyed by too much affection.
The three girls clung together warmly, rubbing cheeks like real sisters.
Seeing the girls getting along so well, Shirou also smiled warmly.
Though he felt it was a little too much "yuri", and it was three of them together at that...
"Senpai..." Mash held her blushing red face, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
Aside from Gudako-senpai, this was the first time she had hugged girls her own age so intimately. And with two beautiful girls, one on each side... it was a bit exciting.
"Ahem. Shirou-senpai, actually, there's something I must tell you," Mash cleared her throat, speaking seriously. "About your eyes yesterday — I think it's necessary to have Da Vinci check them."
"Oh, that? It's nothing really. See? I've already recovered completely," Shirou replied.
"Still, Shirou, I think it's better to get them checked," Yukino looked over with concern. Though she said nothing, her eyes conveyed everything.
"All right, fine. I'll leave it to you, Mash," Shirou reluctantly agreed.
"Yes, Senpai. I'll connect you to Da Vinci now," Mash said while operating her phone.
A luxuriously dressed woman resembling the Mona Lisa appeared in the hologram.
"Hello there~ Oh my, looks like you've gathered more companions again, as expected of you, Shirou.
Among the Heroic Spirits I know, your ability to draw people in is quite exceptional."
"Uwah... this person seems kind of annoying," Yui whispered into Yukino's ear upon seeing her.
"Agreed," Yukino nodded.
"Da Vinci, please check Senpai's eyes. His Mystic Eyes were overused in the last battle, and I'm worried about side effects," Mash explained.
"Mystic Eyes, hmm? Can you activate them now? Just look toward me — I'll have someone use tools to analyze the data," Da Vinci replied.
"I understand. These are my Mystic Eyes. I've named them 'Analytical Mystic Eyes' based on their ability," Shirou nodded and activated his amber-colored eyes.
Each time he used them, he would receive an overload of information, which strained his brain and vision.
It was fine when analyzing tools or furniture.
But when the target was a Phantasmal Species, the burden on his eyes increased dramatically.
Last time, when analyzing a mutated chimera, it consumed massive magical energy.
When used in conjunction with projecting Noble Phantasms, it even caused a kind of spacetime distortion.
The boy opened his amber-hued Mystic Eyes. When he focused on the hologram, the structure and concepts of Chaldea's machinery entered his vision and were immediately converted into knowledge that flooded his mind.
Observation tool for this world — Near-Future Observation Lens: Sheba...
Blue orb connected to Sheba — Earth Environmental Simulation Model: Chaldeas...
Imaginary Number Observation Device — Paper Moon...
Da Vinci, using Chaldea's technology, performed an examination on Shirou, and quickly reached a conclusion.
"Analysis? You're observing the past of another world and decoding its construction data — that's essentially 'reconstruction,' isn't it? Can such a broken ability really exist in a human?" Even the genius Da Vinci was stunned upon seeing the data, clicking her tongue and muttering softly.
"Da Vinci, is something wrong with Shirou-senpai's eyes?" Mash asked nervously, clutching her clothes.
"Don't worry, Mash. There's nothing wrong. In fact, I'd say the data is abnormally high.
As long as Shirou doesn't try to project a 'complete' divine weapon during battle, it should be fine.
Shirou, from now on, try to control the output of the Mystic Eyes — even if you have to downgrade a Noble Phantasm, you should still be able to project it, right?" Da Vinci advised, reviewing the data.
"Got it. Thanks, Da Vinci," Shirou nodded.
"Oh right! I actually just finished this today. Take a look — I'll install it for all of you," Da Vinci said, clapping her hands and pulling out what looked like a tablet device.
"Hello everyone~!" A mini figure jumped out from the screen, waving at them.
Upon closer inspection, it was a miniature version of Da Vinci, seemingly a lot younger — around elementary school age.
"What is this?" Mash asked.
"This is a battle assistant Heroic Spirit made using part of my memory and spiritual core, connected to Chaldea's database. It basically has the same functions as Mash's phone.
It can open maps, detect anomalies, and contact me," Da Vinci explained confidently.
"I named her Da Vinci Lily No. 2. Cute, right? She also has customizable outfits — cat-ear maid, blanket costume, even a Mejed god costume!"