81: Converging at Shinjuku Station
At that moment, in the basement, the red-haired girl was wrapped in a blanket, lying on a mat, sleeping in a rather disheveled posture.
"Hey, Gudako, time to get up," Shirou called to the girl.
"Good morning… Shirou-senpai. As expected, my body's a little sore, and my neck is really stiff," Gudako said, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
"Compared to sleeping directly on the floor, this is already a lot better," Shirou replied.
"How about… Shirou-senpai, give me a massage~" Gudako flopped back onto the mat, striking what she thought was a seductive pose, lifting one leg.
Because she had taken off her stockings while sleeping, what was lifted high was a snow-white foot.
"Get up. Otherwise, Artoria's going to eat all the breakfast," Shirou said, irritated, giving her lifted sole a light slap.
"So stingy… If it were Rin-senpai doing this to you, you'd totally say yes!" Gudako pouted unhappily.
"Wait, what the hell is Tohsaka even saying to kids?! That crazy girl," Shirou replied in flustered irritation.
Pouting in frustration, Gudako ignored Shirou, put on her socks, changed clothes, stuck out her tongue, and then ran upstairs for breakfast.
"Lie down."
"Woof." The white dog lay down.
"Shake."
"Woof." The white paw rested in the girl's palm.
"Very good! Today Cavall II is in top condition!" Artoria said, satisfied as she patted the white dog's head and stood up.
"Good morning, Shirou-senpai."
"Good morning, Mash. Did you rest properly back in Chaldea?" Shirou asked the pink-haired girl through the holographic image.
"Yes. After the data stabilized last night, I went to rest," Mash answered.
"I see. That's good. Resting is also part of preparing for battle," Shirou nodded in satisfaction.
"Well then, Shirou, Gudako, let's head to Shinjuku Station," Artoria said.
Just as they stepped outside, Gudako let out a cry. "Waaah, it's still pitch black out here!"
"Yeah. It was the same last night and early this morning when I went out. Nothing's changed at all," Shirou replied.
"Shinjuku hasn't had sunlight for a long time. It's perpetually night. The people here have probably forgotten what daytime looks like."
"Cavall II, stay here and guard the place," Artoria turned and instructed the white dog, who tried to follow.
"Woof." The white dog responded, looked at Shirou, wagged its tail, and let out a bark, as if saying goodbye.
Perhaps because Shirou had brought it a few cans of dog food that morning, its affection for him had grown even stronger.
So the three of them headed to Shinjuku Station, only to find that the place had already been remodeled beyond recognition.
The interior passageways had been altered to resemble a maze, and there seemed to be fewer exits.
"No, this is absolutely not the Shinjuku Station I remember. This setup is way too inhumane," Shirou complained.
"Anyway, let's go in and take a look," Artoria, now wearing black armor and wielding her black sword with red markings, led the way inside.
Suddenly, the sound of gunfire echoed from within.
"Hmphahahaha! Eat my coffin! Aah, such a loud battle—surely you'll notice this, Master! Hurry up and get over here, this gentleman uncle is in serious trouble!" The flamboyantly dressed mustached man hoisted a white coffin, from which various machine guns and cannons were firing, holding off the pursuers one by one.
Fleeing through this Shinjuku was too much for him—whether it was demonic beasts, magical puppets, or magi dressed like biker gangsters with bleached blond Mohawk hair, or mercenaries from the Hornet group with weapons specialized for anti-Servant combat.
"Fire! Don't let him escape!" the well-trained Hornet mercenaries, wielding machine guns, fired back at Shinjuku Archer, steadily advancing under the cover of suppressive fire.
"——Excalibur Morgan!" A beam of magical energy in the form of a giant black light shot through the station corridor, tearing through the advancing mercenaries.
The knight girl clad in black armor charged forward with her holy sword, cutting down the remaining mercenaries.
Behind her, Shirou projected a longbow and pierced the mercenaries aiming at Artoria, shattering their helmets and striking them through the forehead.
"Shinjuku Archer! Are you okay?!" Gudako shouted.
"Whoa! Master! A tearful reunion after twelve hours! So moving. Yesterday's knight lady… hmm, and the mysterious boy who suddenly appeared and carried off the Master is here too. I can't thank you enough for your help," the mustached uncle said, performing a gentlemanly bow.
"You really act like it's the first time meeting," Shirou said.
"Who exactly are you? What is your True Name? Your Noble Phantasm? Every move you make is suspicious, yet there are moments of genuine emotion.
I admit your bold action in protecting Gudako yesterday.
We Servants here haven't formally contracted with any Master—we can act independently in this magical realm without relying on a Master's mana.
So tell me: why did you save Gudako?" Artoria demanded, pointing her sword at Shinjuku Archer.
"Ugh, to be honest, I'm not sure either. My head just got hot and I ran in. I really hate putting myself in danger… What's wrong with me?" the mustached uncle said in anguish.
"Because you're a hero of justice?" Gudako tilted her head.
"Hmphahahahaha!" Upon hearing that, the uncle burst into loud laughter.
"Hmphahahahaha!!" Gudako laughed along with her hands on her hips.
Then the uncle suddenly looked shocked and asked, "Eh? Is that really it?"
"Hmphahahahahaha!!!" Gudako laughed even harder.
Artoria tugged at the boy's sleeve and, pointing at Gudako—still laughing with her hands on her hips—asked:
"Shirou, is this girl really Chaldea's final Master, the one responsible for maintaining the continuity of humanity?
The one who ventured alone through seven Singularities, resolved the Incineration of Humanity, defeated the Demon God King Goetia all by herself, and survived to this day as the strongest Master?"
"Yes. Though the image I had from talking to her via phone was a bit different… But then again, Mash is a little different in person too," Shirou replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.
According to Da Vinci, although the FGO game records the events the girl experienced with 90% realism, this must all fall into the remaining 10% that was hidden.
'Things like the Naked King of Uruk, the Round Table Knights' cougar fetish, the big-breast fetish, loli fetish, the twelve perverts of Charlemagne, and the bisexual stud stallion
Heracles—all these black histories of popular characters that would someday be used for gacha bait were cleverly hidden.'
"Shirou, what's wrong?" Artoria asked, seeing Shirou suddenly holding his head.
"Nothing, just a sudden headache…" Shirou replied, waving it off.