"But on one condition: 'You must properly get permission from your important people before we formally contract.'"
Rikka gave her request to Arcueid—not just as a friend, but as her Master.
"You have a place to return to, Arc-nee. So before you move in here, talk to them properly and get their permission first. That's my condition for the contract."
Yes. Arcueid was different from a Servant. She had a home to return to, loved ones waiting for her, and an everyday life she was meant to live. Rikka couldn't allow that precious daily life to be twisted for their own convenience.
"I'm going to use this Grail now to link to the space-time where you belong, so you need to go home properly first. Even if we're a bit airheaded, we still have to follow proper propriety and respect. Because... you're alive."
...Of course, if they parted ways here, there was no guarantee they would ever meet again. This wasn't a Servant summoning; whether it would connect to another world, or whether she could meet the exact same person, was uncertain. Surely, Arcueid's loved ones wouldn't take kindly to her leaving either.
Yet, Arcueid could definitely return to her own world. That much was absolute. With the miracle of the Grail, it was guaranteed. One could hope that wishing for it would bring them together again, but that wasn't right.
This was... Rikka's indirect farewell message. A wish that discouraged her from entering the battlefield, rooted in the belief that 'If you have a peaceful life to return to, that is the greatest happiness of all.'
Saying goodbye was painful—especially when both sides wanted to stay together. Rikka could only scoff at herself for smoothing things over with such words.
"Go, Arc-nee. Back to your everyday life. ...It's okay. We'll all be waiting."
"—I see. Getting permission from the people who matter to you... that is important."
Arcueid accepted the feelings behind those words, understanding them fully. She gently embraced the girl who wished for Arcueid's personal happiness rather than seeking her as combat power or clinging to the bond they'd forged.
"I'll tell Shiki and the others. I'll tell them I found a wonderful Master friend, so I'm going to lend her a hand."
"...Yeah."
"...So, this is goodbye for now. Just for a little while, we'll be apart."
"Yeah."
"...Are you lonely, Rikka-chan?"
"...I'm lonely, but I'm happy. Make sure to say 'I'm home' properly, Arc-nee."
"Mm. ...Thank you."
What might be their final conversation was held quietly within the stillness of the stage.
Holding close the ties and bonds they had forged, they said their goodbyes for now out of mutual respect for each other's happy lives.
They chose to believe... that this, too, was a valid way for a Servant and Master to be.
...Then, the Holy Grail was raised. It linked directly to the space Arcueid originally belonged to. Through the rift, a landscape familiar to Arcueid came into view.
"Well, see you later. Let's believe that our bond will pull us back together, okay?"
Arcueid waved her hand cheerfully, and Rikka responded with a thumbs-up.
"See you, Arc-nee! ...Ah."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"...It feels incomplete without a souvenir! Ah, but I don't have anything! Do you want the Grail?"
Arcueid let out a soft, amused chuckle. Worrying about a souvenir right up to the end—she really is the least Mage-like girl imaginable. The thought warmed her heart.
"Fufu, I don't need a Grail~ Ciel and Akiha would scold me!"
"Right... A Grail isn't really the kind of casual item you just hand over..."
"—Then, I'll take this instead."
Stepping smoothly up to the flustered Rikka, she reached out gently.
"Ah..."
"Fufu, what lovely hair. ...Take good care of it. I'm sure long hair suits you, too."
Arcueid held up Rikka's hair tie. Unbound, Rikka's hair cascaded down over her shoulders.
"Arc-nee... Is something like that really okay? Um, if you want, maybe some of my blood—"
At Rikka's suggestion, Arcueid giggled, shaking her head brightly.
"I don't drink the blood of people I've come to love. We can't be together all the time, but just knowing that you're right here, being yourself, makes me happy."
"...I see."
"That's how it is. ...Well then, goodbye for now, Master."
With her back to the rift, Arcueid spoke with a bright, unwavering smile.
"I'll properly thank you for entertaining me someday. I won't forget... what a wonderful person you are."
"I won't forget you either, Arc-nee!"
"Fufu, thank you! —We'll definitely meet again, Rikka!"
With those final words, Arcueid stepped into the rift. Innocent, free-spirited, and smiling to the very end.
"You'd better take responsibility for getting me all invested like this—!"
And so, the delightful True Ancestor, Arcueid... returned to her own world, leaving behind a bright echo and a lovely scent in her wake.
"...Bye-bye, Arc-nee. If we meet again, I'll show you around Chaldea."
If the day ever came when her ordinary life reconnected with the extraordinary, they surely would.
Dreaming of that reunion, Rikka stepped off the stage where it had all ended.
The one-night dream drew to a close, and the members of Chaldea returned to their respective daily routines...
The bustling festival quieted down, and the Chaldea crew set to work cleaning up Halloween decorations while preparing for the approaching winter cold. The festive noise gradually surrendered to peaceful everyday life.
"Halloween is over, and it's going to get chilly from here on, Senpai."
"We're on a snowy mountain, isn't it a bit late to notice? Besides, I've never once felt cold or uncomfortable here in Chaldea."
"True. But I'm sure you'll be fine, Senpai. Dry-towel friction rubs, an armor of muscles, shivering, high metabolism... You're a Threat to Humanity who's absurdly resistant to the cold!"
"Ahaha, don't talk about me like I'm a human space heater, Kouhai. U-ohhh."
Mash carried a single cardboard box packed with decorations, while Rikka ambled alongside her carrying three in each arm, chatting down the hallway.
"Arcueid-san went back home, didn't she... It feels a little lonely. I thought maybe she'd stay at Chaldea..."
"Well, she has a home to go back to. She needs to cherish that."
"...Here, too."
"Hmm?"
Rikka paused over her stack of cardboard boxes at Mash's quiet words.
"Here, too... This Chaldea is your home, Senpai. I'm sure everyone feels that way. Me included...!"
Hearing such a earnest plea, Rikka couldn't help but laugh softly.
"—Thank you. Jeanne and Mother are busy, so once we finish this, let's go lounge around in my room~"
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