Ritsuka strolled down the empty, silent streets of Tokyo alongside the child-sized Athena. Georgios and Oppenheimer followed a few paces behind, acting as a quiet but formidable vanguard.
Originally, Ritsuka had planned to spend the evening sightseeing maybe find a cozy restaurant to share a nice dinner with the goddess. But she had overlooked one small, annoying detail: because of her overwhelming presence as a [Savior], every single local in the area had fled in terror. The city was a ghost town.
"How tragic," Ritsuka sighed, looking at the shuttered storefronts. "I'm a hero, not a monster. Why does everyone run away?"
"Perhaps because you carry the weight of a thousand worlds, fellow comrade," Athena remarked, her voice calm despite her small stature.
Having nothing else to do, Ritsuka reached into her storage and pulled out a chilled watermelon another gift from the Chaldean kitchen. She sliced it and handed a piece to Athena. The goddess, initially suspicious of the "mortal fruit," took a tentative bite.
Her eyes widened. The sweetness was unlike anything she had tasted in the age of myth. Without another word, Athena joined the "watermelon army," munching away with pure, divine satisfaction.
"This fruit... it is remarkably sweet," Athena mumbled through a mouthful. "Where to next, fellow comrade? Mm... Oppen?"
Oppenheimer, who was happily Pecking at her own slice, looked up. "What is it, Master?"
Ritsuka pointed toward a large, ancient-looking tree near a street corner. "Fire a shot at that thing. Something's hiding there."
"Understood!" Oppenheimer chirped. She raised her right arm, the hexagonal cannon barrel glowing with a sickly green and white light as it began to charge.
"Wait, wait! Please, stop!"
A middle-aged man with narrow, shifty eyes suddenly scrambled out from behind the tree, his face pale with fright. He immediately dropped to one knee in a desperate dogeza.
"O great and holy deities! Please, have mercy! I mean no harm! I am merely a humble messenger!"
"No harm?" Ritsuka smirked, her eyes cold. "You might not be holding a weapon, but your hypocritical aura is enough to make me lose my appetite. You smell like a snake trying to act like a saint."
Indeed, the man's greasy smile radiated false virtue. Even Athena and Georgios frowned in disgust. The aura around him was foul—the stench of a man who manipulated others from the shadows.
"I am Amakasu Touma, a representative of the History Compilation Committee. I came here to negotiate—"
Ritsuka didn't wait for him to finish. She gave Oppenheimer a subtle nod.
The crow-girl's cannon reached full charge, the air around it shimmering with intense heat.
BOOM!
A concentrated orb of nuclear fire roared forward. Amakasu Touma didn't even have time to scream. The blast, infused with the essence of the Yatagarasu, tore through his body, vaporizing him instantly. When the smoke cleared, nothing remained but a small pile of scorched black ash on the pavement.
"Let's go, Athena-chan," Ritsuka said, taking the goddess's small hand. "That annoying pest was ruining the scenery."
The Netherworld (The Hidden Realm)
"It is confirmed. Amakasu Touma has been executed killed by the summoned followers of the Savior."
The speaker was a boy of ethereal beauty, looking like a character pulled straight from a manga, reporting the death to a shadowy figure seated on a throne of ancient stone.
"I see... truly a ruthless deity. To kill without a moment's hesitation despite being called a 'Savior.' It seems the title of [Heretic Savior] is well-earned," the voice from the shadows whispered.
"I understand. Sayanomiya Kaoru, withdraw for now. Do not provoke those individuals further. They are beyond our current reach."
"As you wish... Lord Susanoo."
Sayanomiya Kaoru, the head of the Tokyo branch of the History Compilation Committee, bowed deeply before vanishing into the darkness.
Alone in the silence, the god known as Susanoo muttered to himself, his voice laced with unease: "A [Heretic Savior]... whoever they are, they are nothing but a harbinger of chaos."
Back in Tokyo
After wandering for another hour without finding a single open restaurant, Ritsuka finally lost her patience.
"That's it! I'm hungry, and this city is boring!" She turned to Athena. "Athena-chan, if a blue light tries to wrap around you in a moment, don't resist. I'm taking you to my home for the best dinner you've ever had!"
Loli Athena looked up, her cat-ear hat tilting curiously, and nodded.
Ritsuka raised her right hand, her Command Seal glowing brightly. "Doctor! We're coming home! Beam us up!"
Swirling blue particles of light enveloped the group. In a flash of brilliant energy, they vanished from the streets of Japan.
Chaldea: The Teleportation Chamber
The group reappeared amidst the humming machinery of the spiritron transfer system.
"What is this place...?" Athena asked, her voice filled with genuine wonder as she stared at the glowing screens and advanced technology.
"Welcome to the Organization for the Preservation of Human Order—Chaldea!" Ritsuka grinned, spreading her arms wide.
"Chaldea? Fellow comrade, what kind of sanctuary is this?"
Ritsuka ruffled the goddess's hair playfully. "I'll tell you everything on the way to the cafeteria. Trust me, the food is worth the trip!"
As they walked through the sterile, white hallways, Ritsuka explained the mission of Chaldea, the nature of Heroic Spirits, and why she carried the burden of a Savior.
"I see," Athena said, her expression turning solemn. "To fight alongside the spirits of history to save the very concept of mankind... it is a noble path. In a way, I too am a 'creation' of human myth. If their history vanished, so would I. You have saved my life as well."
The little goddess looked up at Ritsuka with newfound respect. "This debt... I shall find a way to repay it."
Ritsuka scratched her cheek awkwardly. "No need to be so serious! I was just doing what needed to be done."
They reached the cafeteria doors and pushed them open. Unlike the empty streets of Tokyo, the room was bursting with life. Hundreds of Heroic Spirits were gathered, laughing and eating together. Ritsuka waved to several Servants as she led Athena toward a table.
"CALM DOWN, MISS GORGON!"
"LET ME GO, MASH! I'M GOING TO TEAR THAT DAMNED ATHENA APART!"
A loud commotion erupted near the center of the room. Ritsuka sighed as she saw Mash struggling to hold back a massive, serpentine woman with snakes for hair.
Gorgon was trembling with pure, unadulterated hatred, her eyes locked onto the small Athena.
"What is her problem?" Athena asked, tilting her head.
"That's Gorgon," Ritsuka explained. "In our world, she was once Medusa, but she was cursed by a version of Athena and turned into a monster. She... doesn't take well to anyone with your name."
Before Gorgon could break free, the original Medusa and Heracles stepped in. They grabbed Gorgon's tail and unceremoniously hauled her out of the room.
"TRAITOR! YOU'RE NOT EVEN THE REAL MEDUSA!" Gorgon screamed as she was dragged away, her claws leaving deep gouges in the metal floor.
"...And who is the other purple-haired girl?" Athena asked, pointing to a beautiful, smiling woman nearby.
"That's Medusa in her goddess form, before the curse," Ritsuka replied.
"Fascinating... the same soul, summoned from different points in time," Athena mused.
A few minutes later, Gorgon returned this time with a mop, grumpily scrubbing the floor as part of her punishment. The sight of the terrifying monster-queen angrily mopping tiles was so absurd that even Athena had to stifle a giggle.
"To think that legends of all eras can live in peace like this... and even take turns on cleaning duty," Athena whispered. "Only you could lead such a chaotic army."
"Enough talk! Here comes the main event!" Ritsuka cheered.
Emiya arrived at their table, a warm smile on his face. "Master, welcome back. I've prepared takoyaki, sushi rolls, and a prime Kobe beef steak for you."
He then placed a beautifully arranged plate in front of Athena. "And for Lady Athena, I've prepared a traditional Greek feast that has been highly praised by our other Greek Servants."
The aroma was heavenly. At the next table, Cu Chulainn looked at his own plate and groaned. "Hey! Why is my dinner just some watery stew, you damned red archer?!"
"If you want better food, learn to help in the kitchen instead of napping," Emiya replied coldly before walking back to the stove.
Athena took a bite of the Greek dish and froze. Then, she began eating with a speed that was almost terrifying for a goddess.
"Comrade!" she declared, patting her small stomach after finishing. "That chef... I want him. Can you assign him to serve me permanently?"
"Not a chance," Ritsuka said, cutting into her steak. "If I gave him to you, the Artoria-squad would start a civil war by morning. But... if you want to eat like this every day, you could always just stay here."
Ritsuka was too focused on her steak to notice Athena's expression. The goddess lowered her head, her eyes shimmering with a strange light.
History Compilation Committee Headquarters
"Lord Susanoo!" Sayanomiya Kaoru burst into the room, gasping for air. "The deities... all of them! They've vanished from the radar!"
"What?!" Susanoo's composure shattered. "How? Where did they go?"
"A priestess saw it through her Spirit Vision," Kaoru replied, trembling. "She said a brilliant blue light descended from the heavens and 'swallowed' them whole. The moment she saw the light, her eyes were burned, and she lost her mind. She's currently babbling about 'traveling through the stars'..."
"A blue light that bypasses the laws of the world...?" Susanoo frowned deeply. "Why does that sound so familiar? I feel like I've heard of such a thing in a forgotten myth..."
(In the background, near the Chaldean Rayshift console, a certain Outer God named Nyarlathotep was watching the screen and grinning mischievously.)
Chaldea: Nighttime
After dinner, the group was lounging on a plush sofa in the common room. Ritsuka was flipping through channels on the cross-world TV, feeling incredibly lazy. Athena was sitting next to her, watching Mordred play a high-difficulty video game with intense focus.
Suddenly, Athena turned to Ritsuka.
"Comrade."
"Yeah, Athena-chan?"
"I have made my decision," the goddess said, her voice firm. "I shall join your Chaldea. I wish to see the end of this journey by your side."
"...Wait, WHAT?!"