In those days, Ritsuka was completely isolated.
At first, I didn't approach her either.
The reason I kept my distance was because I felt like we lived in different worlds.
Originally, my plan was to leave Chaldea after the Restoration of Human History was complete. I believed the main characters would handle Part 2 on their own, and I didn't have the courage to join them on that arduous journey. I figured it would be easier to just lay low until it was all over, much like during the Incineration.
I might have ended up in eternal sleep, but considering the sheer scale of Part 2, travelling with them would have been hellish anyway.
That's why I thought of us as people who would eventually part ways, just acquaintances for a few months, and had no intention of getting close.
Of course, Ritsuka often approached me.
After all, I was one of only about twenty remaining staff members. As an ordinary person, she probably felt more comfortable with a commoner like me, who was just a handyman. The fact that I was Japanese in this life probably helped, too. Besides, aside from me and that blond asshole, there were no other male survivors, right?
I didn't coldly reject her when she approached. I had no ill will towards Ritsuka, and I knew that if we became friends, she would be the only one sad when we parted. I figured that by the time Part 2, or even Part 1.5, began, I would just be a forgotten connection from her past.
So, I didn't make the first move, but I didn't put up a wall either.
However, at some point, Ritsuka began to rely on me a lot.
She was fine when the Servants started leaving, one by one. True to her title as the Master with the strongest mentality in Type-Moon history, she didn't waver.
But as more and more people left, her standing diminished, and even Mash, whom she had trusted, fell to the other side. Eventually, Ritsuka broke.
Ritsuka is only human. Her mental fortitude has its limits; she isn't invincible. That was made clear even in the original story, and it's only natural for a person.
That was when I started to approach her.
I wanted to be the one to support her. I wanted to be on her side, at the very least.
Still, all I could do was talk to her during breaks, cook for her, or just be by her side.
When he was a boy, he was bullied; after she became a girl, she became that guy's toy.
Unlike the other women, Ritsuka never became corrupted.
One day, I went to find Ritsuka after that guy had left her room.
The bed was soaked with his semen, and my face instinctively scrunched up in disgust as I saw it trickling from between the crying Ritsuka's thighs.
Without a word, I draped my jacket over her.
"...I'll clean this up. Go take a shower."
I couldn't offer sentimental comfort. It wasn't my style, and even if I forced it, my true feelings wouldn't come across.
Ritsuka sobbed for about a minute, then silently headed to the shower.
I cleaned up her room, which had become worse than a brothel, wiping away and disposing of everything that guy had left behind.
Of course, I wasn't doing it for his sake. It wasn't about cleaning up his mess, but because this was where Ritsuka lived. I just wanted her to be able to rest in a clean and tidy room.
A short while later, Ritsuka came out just as I was finishing up. The dark circles under her eyes were deeper, and she looked exhausted, both in body and soul.
"Today, I made some porridge. I put in abalone, shrimp, lots of good stuff. It's not like those guys care what I use."
"Thank you…"
I handed the warm porridge to Ritsuka. She sat on the bed, not even using a chair, and began to eat.
As Ritsuka ate, tears welling in her eyes, I just sat quietly by her side.
This was hypocrisy, if you could call it that. This was all I could do.
I couldn't offer a real solution, nor could I save her. I was just a bystander, offering small comforts.
I hated my own powerlessness, and I hated this reality.
As an adult, there was nothing I could do for her. I truly hated myself for that. The fact that I couldn't stop her tears made me feel pathetic.
"...Ugh."
My eyes open.
Right, the Rayshift… While I was unconscious, a memory from the past, whether a dream or a flashback, came to me. A memory from a time I'd rather not remember.
Anyway, I get my bearings and sit up.
I'm in Fuyuki, in the year 2004.
And it's a Fuyuki that is on fire.
"Shit, how am I supposed to survive this?"
Logically speaking, I'm screwed. I can't see Ritsuka or Mash anywhere.
If I run into a single Wyvern Soldier here, I'm a dead man.
It's not like I can suddenly go, "I learned karate, so this is no problem!" or go on a rampage.
I've never learned any martial arts in the first place.
The world is so indifferent. Technically, I've been reincarnated into another world, but I don't have a single cheat ability.
"Where the hell am I anyway?"
I don't know Fuyuki. I have no idea about the geography, so even looking at a fallen road sign doesn't give me a clue.
The only thing I can make out is a mountain in the distance. It looks pretty far.
Besides, Archer is probably on that mountain, so going there would be suicide.
I have the worst luck. Why did I get Rayshifted? I'm sure I had no aptitude. Could this be it? The Counter Force? No, here it'd be more of a compulsion.
Unlike before, I'm now planning to eliminate that guy, so maybe the world is trying to kill me off for being a nuisance.
The fact that it's a possibility is just crappy. For now, I look around and pick up a broken steel pipe.
"Yeah, at least with a tool, I won't die instantly."
Against a single Wyvern Soldier, maybe I could at least put up a fight? If a normal person like me tried to run, I'd probably get caught anyway. If it's one-on-one, maybe it's better to at least try to fight.
Or is that just crazy? Since both options lead to death, choosing to die fighting... I guess that's manly in a way.
Still, I try to move out of the burning city and towards a residential area that isn't on fire.
"Oh, damn it."
I couldn't get far. On my way, I ran into Wyvern Soldiers. Not one, but at least five of them. A blessing in disguise? At least none of them have bows.
I heroically throw the pipe I picked up at them and turn tail to run.
If it were one, I might have tried, but against a group, I'd just die.
I glance back and see the Wyvern Soldiers chasing me at a terrifying speed. They're as fast as me, or even faster.
"Gasp, wheeze!"
I run at full speed, but I'm running out of breath. At this rate, they'll catch me and I'll die. I want to duck into a building or an alley, but everything has collapsed. There's no way out.
"Cough, hack!"
I can't run anymore. I fall to the ground, coughing uncontrollably. Is this the end?
CRASH!
Just then, I hear a loud noise nearby. Wondering if someone came to help me, I lift my head.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Gilles de Rais.
That monster was looking down at me. The killing intent directed at me was unmistakable.
Seeing Gilles, the Wyvern Soldiers actually back away and flee.
If it's him, maybe it'll be a painless death? If he crushes my head first, I won't feel a thing.
Pathetic, aren't I?
I should be thinking about how to survive, not wishing for a painless death.
I said I wanted to help. It might not have been much, but this time, I really wanted to help her properly.
Gilles leaps over the debris and brings his fist down on me. My body is about to be crushed.
I can't move. I used up all my stamina running and trying to breathe.
To think it would end so meaninglessly. At the very least, I hope she remembers what I told her.
...I want to live.
I still have things I need to do. I don't want to die so pointlessly. I want to live. At the very least, I want to have a meaningful death.
In a world like this, in a crappy world like this, I don't want to live and die like this!
I still haven't...
CLANG!!!
In that moment, something appeared and blocked Gilles's fist.
A red cape fluttered as a warrior, protecting me with a golden shield, stood before me.
"Servant, Lancer. The King of Sparta, Leonidas! I have answered your call!"
"What?"
A Servant had appeared before me.
A male Servant, something I had never seen since coming to this world.
Leonidas.
A specialist in defense.
But, he answered my call?
"Ugh!?"
Suddenly, the back of my right hand burns.
I quickly look at it and see a three-stroke red tattoo engraved on my skin.
"What, why do I have Command Seals?"
Command Seals.
The three-stroke Command Seals that prove one is a Master were now on the back of my hand.
"What in the world is happening to me?"
While I was panicking, Leonidas instantly stabbed and eliminated Gilles.
And in my field of vision, I could see Ritsuka waving and running towards me from a distance.
What the hell is going on? I have no idea.