Possession Summoning Conditions
At this moment, over at the Service Club—
"What did the other party say?" Shirou, Yui, and Mash all turned to Yukinoshita and asked.
"No, the other party said they didn't notice anything unusual," Yukinoshita shook her head.
Thanks to Little Da Vinci now being connected to the server terminal, she could enter everyone's phones at any time.
Just as Da Vinci said, Chaldea would open the Spirit Assistance System to qualified Masters, bringing them in as companions to help protect the world.
Yukinoshita thought of the group chat admin who had once provided her with detailed monster data from the game.
That person was easy to get along with, highly knowledgeable, and very good at playing.
She must've been hand-picked by Da Vinci.
So while she sent a thank-you message, she casually tried probing a bit to see if the person would become a companion.
But judging from the calm response, at least for now, she wasn't.
"What a shame. That person's probably a veteran player, right? If we could convince them to join, we might see improvements across the board — power, tactics, and strategy," Mash said regretfully.
"Right! Right! Then for now, it's just the four of us giving it our all," Yui said cheerfully with a smile.
"You look awfully happy about that," Shirou said, looking at the bun-haired girl and teasing her.
"Well, I was thinking… I mean, it's nice for the Service Club to be a bit lively, but since Mash just joined, we don't have to rush so much.
It's okay to take things slowly and figure it out together, right?" Yui explained with a smile.
"That's true. Lunch break's almost over. Let's all head back to class and regroup here this afternoon," Yukinoshita said as she stood up and began tidying the tea set.
"I'll do it. You all head back to class," Shirou said as he took the tea set from her.
"Geez! We'll wait for you — let's all go together!" Yui said with mild frustration.
Yukinoshita also stood still, showing no sign of leaving. Mash nodded along repeatedly.
"…All right." Shirou washed the tea set at the faucet, let it dry, then followed the girls back to class.
"See you this afternoon, Senpai."
"Yeah, see you in the afternoon."
Mash was in the first-year international class. At the staircase, she waved to her seniors and went downstairs.
Yukinoshita was in the second-year international class. She walked a few steps forward and parted ways with Shirou and Yui.
Thus, only the boy and girl were left walking silently down the corridor.
"Shirou!" the girl suddenly stopped in her tracks and called out to the boy ahead.
"What is it?" Shirou turned his head.
"Don't say lonely things like 'go on ahead' again. I'll wait for you, okay? I swear!" Yui shouted, then ran ahead back to her classroom.
"Yahallo~!" Yui slid the door open and returned to her small group of friends, quickly getting into conversation.
The boys' group of four were also noisily chatting and laughing today.
Shirou was momentarily stunned but then walked into the classroom.
The silver-haired delinquent girl Saki looked over, and the angelic Saika waved toward him.
Shirou nodded at them both and quietly returned to his seat. The classroom was peaceful as ever.
After school in the afternoon, Shirou made a brief appearance at the kyudo club, then returned to the school building and headed to the Service Club.
By the time he arrived, the girls were already chatting inside. Shirou didn't interrupt them; he entered, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Yukinoshita was flipping through the data Da Vinci had transmitted to their phones after the FGO system update.
"It seems not everyone meets the conditions for Possession Summoning.
There must be mutual recognition. The more unique and legendary the Heroic Spirit, the harder it is to find a compatible host.
A kind and righteous Heroic Spirit won't choose a host with an evil heart, and a free-spirited Heroic Spirit may not select someone who is overly rigid and rule-abiding."
Yukinoshita then posed a question to everyone: "For example, Saint Jeanne d'Arc — what kind of person do you think she could possess?"
"A 17-year-old high school girl?" Shirou offered.
"A village girl?" Mash tilted her head in confusion.
"A French girl? A girl in military uniform? So hard to guess!" Yui scratched her head, sighing.
"Yes, someone as famous and special as Jeanne d'Arc — among the world's population of over 7 billion, it might still be hard to find even one match."
"As a saint and national hero, there are strict requirements across many aspects: faith, bloodline, spirit, gender, physicality, personality, spiritual rank… Not to mention the 'software' requirements like character, beliefs, and desires.
To improve compatibility, there must be resonance, commonality, and mutual understanding."
"I see," Shirou nodded thoughtfully.
Physical traits too, huh... that makes sense.
"Good. I'm glad you understand," Yukinoshita said approvingly when she saw how quickly the boy grasped it.
For example, both Ushiwakamaru and Yukinoshita had powerful elder sisters — the founder of the shogunate system, the shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo, and Yukinoshita Haruno, who was elegant and impeccable in every way.
With complicated feelings — longing for recognition from her sister, yet not wanting to become like her — Yukinoshita Yukino genuinely sympathized with and adored Ushiwakamaru.
The Heroic Spirit sensed this and responded to the girl.
Yui, during middle school, was actually a plain and unnoticed girl.
But in high school, she transformed — dyed her hair, wore makeup, and began chasing her ideal. Her motto was: "Life is short, fall in love, girl!"
Suzuka Gozen, having experienced tragic love in a past life, yearned for a passionate, unforgettable romance.
So she took the form of a foxy high school girl, waiting for her destined one to summon her.
And Shirou — with his strong will to protect this world, his family, and his friends — shared values with Saint George, a great hero known for protecting others.
He defeated the destructive dragon and protected many nations.
"Once the physical requirements for possession are met, the key factor becomes compatibility.
To meet the summoning criteria, compatibility must exceed 50%.
The higher the compatibility, the more of the Heroic Spirit's power can be drawn out. Ways to raise compatibility include showing passion for the Heroic Spirit, strengthening and training them, fulfilling their wishes, and building a deeper bond."
Similar body, similar spirit, similar experiences — but most important is mutual recognition. The summoner acknowledges the Heroic Spirit's beliefs, and the Heroic Spirit accepts the summoner's thoughts.
Heroic Spirits are elevated versions of human heroes. There are countless strong, handsome, and beautiful ones.
The most famous naturally attract widespread admiration — but there are always exceptions.
Someone who likes Chevalier d'Eon may also like Child Gil or Young Emperor (Caesar), but not necessarily King Gilgamesh or Iskandar. Yet they all might like Astolfo.
There are people who hold unique, uncommon feelings toward certain Heroic Spirits — who find deep resonance or are moved by them.
That becomes the chance to encounter a Heroic Spirit and forms the fated bond between them.
For example: Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, who pursued a grand ideal to the very end. Even if no one understood or recognized him, he continued his efforts without hesitation.
Or Arash — kind and righteous, who loved peace.
He sacrificed himself for others and, even when faced with countless life-or-death choices, still chose to draw his bow and fire the "Stella."
Or Nitocris — strong yet adorable.
To avenge her brother, she drowned her enemies with the waters of the underworld. But she could not avoid retribution. To preserve the dignity of the Pharaoh, she entered the dark room and left the world behind.
FGO players are all over the world, from all walks of life. Maybe — in the Throne of Heroes — there's one Heroic Spirit who shares a deep bond with you, waiting to be summoned.
"…Mash? You just recited that huge monologue. Who exactly were you talking to?" Shirou asked, watching the pink-haired girl who had been staring off into the distance.
"Shirou-senpai! Don't say it out loud! That was such an emotional soliloquy — you totally ruined the mood!" Mash puffed out her cheeks in protest.