Chapter 75 - From Shinjuku to Shinjuku
The white peak of Mount Fuji was tinged with an orange-red hue.
As the sun gradually set, the surroundings slipped into darkness at a pace barely perceptible in the blink of an eye.
Streetlights along both sides of Shinjuku's roads and the nearby shops had already lit up, neon lights flashing in pink, purple, and red, spinning and swirling—telling tourists that the real excitement of this place was just beginning.
Having finally shopped to their heart's content, the girls decided to head toward the subway station.
Shirou followed behind them, both hands filled with more than a dozen shopping bags, while holding four or five shoeboxes in his arms. Thanks to his well-trained physique, he managed to keep pace behind the girls. It had all started with him offering to carry a few things if they got too heavy, and before he knew it, they'd dumped everything on him.
"Shirou-Senpai, let me help you after all," Mash turned back and said.
"Just let him carry them," Yuigahama said casually. "He's the one who said all the clothes looked great, so we bought everything."
'And who was it that wouldn't let go of my offhand comment earlier…' Shirou silently grumbled.
"Shirou, you know, carrying bags for girls is a privilege only the popular guys get," Asuna added with a grin.
'That's a privilege I could really do without…'
"I personally believe women should be independent—but Shirou is an exception, so I guess it's fine," Yukinoshita chimed in.
'No, Yukinoshita-san, once you start making exceptions to things like equality and fairness, the concept itself becomes corrupted…'
After walking for quite a while, they finally entered the subway. Shirou set down all the bags and boxes.
"Hehe, thanks for your hard work," Yuigahama said as she massaged his shoulders and patted his back.
"You're something else… Well, you all did put a lot of effort into picking clothes for me, so thanks, everyone," Shirou said to his companions.
"Don't worry about it. Except for that first shop, which was a bit unpleasant, today was really fun," Asuna said with a smile.
"Agreed," Yukinoshita nodded. She was starting to wonder if her father had chosen that store for some ulterior motive.
"Next time, let's go shopping again! Mash, you're coming too, right?" Yuigahama said, hugging the pink-haired girl beside her.
"Yes, I've started to understand the fun of dressing up and buying clothes, Yuigahama-senpai," Mash smiled. Today, as Chaldea's resident who tried on the most outfits, she felt she had reached the pinnacle—whether as a Servant or as a human being!
"Mash, I think it's important to practice moderation in all things," Shirou advised.
After returning to Chiba, Shirou said goodbye to the girls one by one as they transferred to their respective subway lines home.
When Mash returned to her small private villa, her phone suddenly began vibrating violently. She pulled it out to check.
"Mash, there's an emergency. I'm transporting you back to Chaldea immediately," Da Vinci said sternly.
Back in Chaldea, alarms were blaring.
Red lights flashed throughout the corridors, and in the Control Room, a singularity had just been detected.
"Unable to determine the singularity's location! It seems to be confined to a very small area!"
"Start comparative analysis! Check for any wavelengths similar to previous singularities!"
"Results from Sheba are in! The location is Tokyo, Shinjuku—the year is 1999!"
"We must dispatch a Master to resolve this immediately!" Da Vinci said urgently.
The person Da Vinci was speaking to via comms was a red-haired girl with a side ponytail, lounging leisurely on a sofa playing with her phone, dressed in a red high-neck tunic with a cross pattern.
When she saw Da Vinci's hologram, she waved casually.
"Yo, Da Vinci-chan."
"Gudako, why do you look so relaxed? Has your world already been resolved?" Da Vinci asked.
"Well… technically it's resolved, but there are still a few things left to handle. I've also been trying to persuade a powerful ally to help us out at Chaldea," Gudako reported.
"What exactly is the situation? Is this 'ally' the girl you're assisting now?" Da Vinci asked.
"Yep! Ishtar Rin-senpai Mama! Is lunch ready?" Gudako turned her head and shouted across the room.
A voice from inside responded—a voice Shirou would surely find familiar if he were present.
"Gudako! Don't call me Ishtar Rin! Get my name and the goddess's name right! Dinner is Chinese seafood fried rice and it's almost ready, so sit still and shut up!"
"Yees~" Gudako responded obediently.
She'd been grinding FGO while cursing the dev team and waiting for dinner.
"Then you need to come back now! We have critical work to do!" Da Vinci shouted.
"Ehh?! Wait! Da Vinci-chan, I still have important things to do here! Don't dump all the grunt work on me—and I haven't had dinner yet!"
"This isn't a joke! A singularity has appeared!" Da Vinci said seriously.
"Eh?! But Goetia was already defeated!" Gudako shouted in surprise.
"Goetia is gone, and humanity has been restored—but the appearance of those seven singularities caused large-scale distortions in space-time.
This small singularity may have emerged due to ripple effects that altered history," Da Vinci explained.
"Got it! I'll return immediately!" Gudako, now serious, nodded with determination.
"Good! Prepare for Rayshift!" Da Vinci ordered the staff.
"Rin-senpai Mama, I'm heading back to Chaldea! See ya!" Gudako shouted toward the kitchen.
The Rayshift device activated, and the girl transformed into light particles, vanishing as she was transported back to Chaldea.
Left behind, the black-haired, twin-tailed girl set a huge plate of fried rice on the table and muttered with a pout, "She just left without warning. Now who's going to finish all this food? She really is just like that person…"
"Well, if you want to see her again, you can—anytime. That much I can guarantee," said a figure emerging from the kitchen.
"Oh well. I bet she'll shamelessly come running back someday—just like that person," the twin-tailed girl said with a smile.
.
.
.
At that same time, Shirou had just arrived home when he received a message from Da Vinci.
She relayed Da Vinci's request: "A singularity has been detected. Under the current circumstances, we hope Shirou can help resolve it."
"Da Vinci-chan, I'm applying to deploy as well! With the power of the FGO system, I can fight too!" Mash said earnestly.
"Mash, I'm sorry—but this time, we're dealing with a true singularity, not a protected alternate world.
Even if it's a small one, you'll be facing dangerous Heroic Spirits.
Until your physical condition stabilizes, I won't allow you to take part in such risky battles," Da Vinci replied sternly.
"…Understood." Mash clenched her fists tightly, unwilling but resigned.
"Besides," Da Vinci continued, "Shirou has agreed to help in your place. That should make up for the lost combat power. So rest easy, Mash."