Here we go again, people! Yeah, it took me a while as always, but what can I say? I made the mistake of getting addicted to another gacha hell that came out recently as F/GO wasn't putting out that much content before the release of Lostbelt 6. And then I devoured the story for a couple of days and back again to wait.

At any rate. I'd say this chapter is shorter than usual but thinking that would mean my perception of reality is quite distorted. 20k is already longer than most of the chapters on this site. And that also means that you will get the full experience of the train wreck I promised in the previous chapter. There will be a fair share of action after a proper build-up, but I'll warm you already, don't expect a grand battle in the third chapter. Aside from delving into Haruna's character, this chapter will also introduce you to the real subtext going around in the city, or this planet Earth for that matter, and hinting about Alice's true identity.

I must say, I didn't expect so many people in the review to get all the small hints I left, but for the sake of not ruining the moment, I'll pretend that didn't happen and keep it to myself. Although the clues in this chapter are way more obvious.

Without further ado, let's get right into the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate Franchise, or To Love Ru.


The night fell in Sainan City, and while most lights in the residential area went out, one could still be seen through the windows of a certain department.

"Fufufu…" A certain blue-haired hummed happily while rolling through her bed and staring at her phone. "Aah… Yuuki-kun… I shouldn't fantasize ahead… but I can't resist~"

Her finger was inches away from his number, but before she made the decision to call him and invite him to the date she promised before the co- err… alien showed up, she had to think how she was going to approach him.

Being completely straightforward over a phone call most likely wouldn't cut it. That would only work if he had nowhere to run, and direct eye contact would prevent him from beating around the bush. No, she had to carefully put it in a way that he had no choice but to go. Appeal to the feelings that were buried somewhere in that husk.

However, her brain was too occupied recreating the feeling of being carried in his strong arms and fantasizing about what could have been if they weren't in a school.

"…!" And that actually gave her an idea. She could use the fact that she didn't thank him for saving as leverage.

Well, not exactly saving her. She wasn't in any actual danger, and the reveal of the fact that she too was special must be handled gently. She would go with the official explanation Shirou came up with, the classical "passed out from anemia".

Yes, she will go with that. She caught wind of him being the one who offered to carry her to the infirmary and wanted to thank him. Even if he is always like "You don't have to thank me", he won't be able to resist it if she played her "sweet girl" charade right.

"Hehehe…" Her happy humming became a quite disturbing laugh after making up her mind. Luckily, she was all alone in her room and her older sister was already asleep. Her expression at that moment could have been only described as depraved.

*BZZZ*

"Huh!?" But just before she clicked Shirou's contact, her cell started to vibrate, and the screen displayed an incoming call.

But the reason she didn't just reject it without even bothering to read the number on display and was instead looking at the screen in utter befuddlement was that it displayed the same contact she wanted to call.

"No way… Yuuki-kun is… calling me!?"

Her inner 16-year-old girl screamed in panic, but she quickly reigned over her emotions. After taking a deep breath, she slid the screen to take the call.

"Oh… Umm… Hi there, Yuuki-kun. H-how can I help you?"

"Good evening, Sairenji. Err… I know this is sudden, but…" The boy on the other side of the call trailed his world awkwardly.

After some hesitations, she could swear she heard a sigh, followed by a "screw it" before he finally spoke again with his usual flat tone.

"Are you free tomorrow morning?"

That lone question caused the blue-haired girl's heart to kick into the highest gear. She literally stumbled to put out a coherent phrase with her cheeks burning.

"Y-yes! Of course, I'm free! I'm totally free tomorrow morning!" That sounded too enthusiastic, but she honestly didn't care right now.

"Good to hear. So… tomorrow at 9 pm, at the fountain square?"

"YES! I'll definitely be there!" That was it! He wanted to bring her to the shopping district. In other words, he was asking her to go on a date!

"Okay…" Now he was starting to sound a little creeped out. "You see… I was planning to show Lala around, and she also needs to buy some clothes. I hoped you could help her in that department…"

The moment those words were processed by her brain, Sairenji Haruna froze in place like a computer that suffered a critical error and printed out a blue screen. Her right eyebrow and eyelid started to tremble uncontrollably after she finally rebooted and spoke in a chill-inducing whisper.

"Shirou-kun… I think I didn't hear you right… Did you… Did you just push that… Lala into our date?"

Even without it being a video call, she could see the auburn-haired boy slowly raising an eyebrow at her, much to her dismay.

"Who said this was a date? Just because a boy and a girl decided to go out, that doesn't mean they are on a date."

"Grr…" That must be the densest thing she has heard in all her life. She had to use all her willpower to just clench her free hand and not yell at the top of her lungs.

"So… you just reached for me to help Lala with her shopping, huh? What kind of girl can't choose her clothes?"

"Let's just say that her fashion sense is a little… distorted, and mine isn't any better. But also… well, uhm… I thought it would do you good to clear your mind after… you know, collapsing like that."

Now Haruna found herself blinking owlishly. The fact that he was so shy about it was enough proof for her that it was genuine and not just a way to trick her into signing up for the shopping trip. And she couldn't help but put her guard down.

It wasn't the perfect outcome she had envisioned, but at least she could finally go out with him. And this was the perfect chance to show him that her charms far outshined Lala's.

"Hehe…" The devilish smile returned as she imagined the devastated expression on that cow's face after Shirou chose her over Lala.

"Uhm… Sairenji?"

Whoops, she lost her composure for a moment. She still had to play hard to get to not raise any suspicion. "Fine… I'll join your tour. As long as you bring me a bento next Monday."

Unbeknownst to her, the boy at the other end of the call was now the one with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

"Deal! Thank you so much, Sairenji. You are really the only one I can ask, aside from my little sister."

"Fufu. Well, you can always rely on me. I'm more reliable than the blonde co- I mean, Tenjoin-san."

"More like she would have asked something more unreasonable… At any rate. See you tomorrow, Sairenji."

"Yes. See you too, Yuuki-kun."

The call ended, and she brought the phone close to her chest. The problem now was, how was she supposed to sleep now that she was so excited?

Just a little more… Just a little more and he will be hers.


Next morning…

And that wait continued for Haruna as she sat alone on a bench in front of the fountain. A pristine image amongst the bustling cityscape. Her doll-like skin bathed under the faint rays of the morning sun, and her dazzling smile was only complemented by the light makeup that enhanced her almost otherworldly beauty.

It would be impossible to miss it, like a bright star shining in the night. However, the people around her continued their daily activities oblivious to her. None could register her presence, except the person she waited for.

"Hi, Haruna-san!" And unfortunately, a certain pink-haired that waved at her too.

The corner of her lips twitched, but she immediately repressed it and rose from the bench before showing her smile to the alien and the auburn-haired boy leading the way.

Lala was wearing a black, summer dress, and a pink coat over it, tied by a red ribbon, that exposed her cleavage. If anything, it enhanced her already supernatural beauty to a point that any male in the vicinity would at least stop for a moment to look at her, even with that silly hairpin ruining the perfect image.

What a waste. True beauty is something that should be reserved for a selected few, not shown around. The only thing she managed was to trouble Shirou, who had to go around shooting murderous glares at those who were staring too much.

And speaking about the auburn-haired boy, Haruna was glad to see he didn't come with his usual, blue-sleeved white shirt. He was wearing a blue, buttoned jacket on top of a white tank top and black jeans that gave him the air of a college student. And if you asked her, he was really hot in that.

"Yo, Sairenji. Did we make you wait?"

"No, I just got here, too." She said the most common trope in a date, even if both of them knew it was complete bullshit.

They weren't late by any means to her surprise. It was 8:45, and she had been waiting for 45 minutes already. Her excitement didn't allow her to wait at her house either.

"So, you are also looking forward to doing tons of fun things today, Haruna-san!?"

"You could say that Lala-san." After answering with a fake smile to the alien, she looked at the golden-eyed boy directly. "Well, where do we go first, Yuuki-kun?"

"For now, I guess we could take a stroll around this district. I've never been to the USA, but I'm pretty sure they don't have the same gastronomy or the 100-yen shops."

A pretty simple plan, but it was to be expected from someone who was dead on this not being a date. "Lead the way then."

And so, the teenage trio ventured into the urban jungle. Their first stop, as fate would have it, was the counter of a bakery.

"What's this… Ki~na~ko bread?" Lala managed to slowly read the small sign with the name of the food that caught her attention, which put a small smile on Shirou's face.

"That's a classic. Basically, bread stuffed with brown sugar and roasted soy sauce. Do you want one?"

"Yes, please!"

The owner of the stand hadn't even taken Shirou's bill before the pink-haired girl took the first bite. And judging by the pleased sounds she was making, it seemed to be to her liking.

The image of a certain girl with hair dark like the night replaced her for a moment in Shirou's eyes, and he couldn't deny the irony in this. The girl in front of him was literally an alien, but her lack of common sense and cuteness was all the same.

"Mmm… it tastes really good despite not being Shirou's food… Oh, do you want a bite, too, Haruna-san?"

The already-bitten bread was offered to the blue-haired girl, who fought to not break out of character. Lala was proposing an indirect kiss to her, and that innocent smile could only mean that she was completely unaware of it.

"No, thanks. I already had plenty of breakfast before coming."

"Are you sure? Your slender body could use more nutrients."

"…" This little… The trembling of Haruna's eyebrows must have been plainly visible, but there was no helping it.

"Do you want, Shirou?"

"Well, a little excess can't hurt." And much to her dismay, the golden-eyed boy took the indirect kiss without hesitation, no doubt being as clueless.

"You know, I think I want a bite, too!" She didn't even wait for Lala's answer and literally jumped at the bread.

But the alien took no offense. In fact, her radiant smile widened, and that seemed to be the start of an unwritten food competition between the three.

They walked along the street, with Shirou buying the food that caught Lala's eyes just for them to quickly devour it like a swarm of piranhas. Octopus balls, dango sweets, vanilla creeps, Takoyaki, and the list kept growing. But fortunately, Shirou came with his wallet full, unlike his other self.

Though he wasn't prepared to cause such a scene. Lala's metabolism definitely allowed it, and after yesterday's fight, he needed those extra calories, but Haruna keeping up with their pace was definitely a surprise. Was she a natural human bottomless pit unlike the spirits or the incarnation of the Red Dragon?

Not that he had much time to think. Once they were completely full, they walked up to the building that could entertain old and new generations alike. The town's arcade.

It offered a sight that would result otherworldly for any non-Japanese teenager of this day and age. Something they could only see in films set in the '80s or '90s. But predictably, the surprise on Lala's face wasn't caused by a sight from the past.

"Wow! What are those machines, Shirou? And are those video game consoles? Their technology seems archaic compared to the rest of the town!"

Shirou's hand twitched, most likely having repressed the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. However, Haruna couldn't stifle a chuckle. Those words pretty much gave away that she wasn't just a regular foreigner.

"Most of them are indeed relics, while others are modern consoles made that way on purpose. Don't ask me why, but here in Japan those things didn't go out of trend like the rest of the world when consoles started to become smaller." The boy gave a summarized, textbook explanation in his usual flat tone, and Haruna couldn't help but wonder.

"Have you been here before, Yuuki-kun?"

"My little sister and I used to come here frequently before she entered... that phase of puberty."

"Does that mean you know your way around these video games then, Shirou?"

"I'm a bit rusted, but I have some experience, yes."

"Awesome! I'm also into video games! It's my other hobby aside from crafting devices. I even tried to program one once."

A slight frown appeared on Haruna's face. To think this airhead managed to find something in common with Shirou to help her bond. But she had her own plan here.

"What are we waiting for then!?"

"Wait. While we are at it, don't you want something from the crane machines before we spend all of our coins?"

Lala's emerald eyes drifted toward the machines he was pointing at, and she took her time to inspect all the prizes exhibited inside the glass boxes. And her eyes stopped at a purple rabbit plushie with a Frankenstein theme.

"That one looks really cute! How do I get it!?"

"Allow me."

The boy introduced a single coin with confidence and took the controls like a real professional. A game that should be wholly rigged to force even experienced players to spend a good number of coins was made to look easy as the crane picked up the plushie with surgical precision and brought it to them without wavering.

"Here." The boy gave her the plushie, causing her smile to widen.

"Thanks, Shirou! I will treasure this. But I didn't know your mag-"

The sentence was left unfinished due to Shirou blocking her mouth with his hand and giving her a nervous look. Unfortunately for him, the blue-haired girl was more than aware of what she meant and was fighting to suppress her laughter.

"Do you want one, too, Sairenji?"

"No, thanks, but I have tones of those back at home."

"Then, let's get to the video games!"

They followed the excited alien to the first free machine, one of those really old fighting games. Shirou inserted a couple of coins to activate the two-player mode, and after selecting their characters, he gave Lala some room to get a hold of the controls.

Once she was ready, the first round ended as everyone expected. Despite having been years since Shirou played with those controls, he still retained enough skill to steamroll a newbie. But it did little to deter the pink-haired girl, and she faced the second round with her smile unperturbed.

"Oh?" Shirou's eyebrow quirked slightly.

The difference became obvious even for a non-expert like Haruna. Lala was no longer making unnecessary movements that left her wide open, and she managed to resist the pressure and pull off some block strings. But in the end, his aggressive playstyle, combined with her lack of knowledge about high-damaging combos to capitalize on the few openings she had determined the clear victor.

"Another one?"

"Another one!" She replied without hesitation, her smile now turning confident.

They selected the same characters as before, and once again, the difference became clear as Lala immediately started her offensive. It caught Shirou off guard, and when one of her attacks finally connected, she actually took a decent chunk of his life bar with a combo.

Everything happened so quickly that he wasn't able to defend after recovering, and the first round of their second battle went for her.

"Wow…"

"Yay! The controls might be a little different, but now that I have the gist of it, this game isn't that different from the ones back at home."

Shirou spoke no further, but Haruna saw amusingly how his straight back tilted slightly forward and his golden eyes focused like a hawk targeting a prey.

It was obvious that he was now taking things way more seriously. Her onslaught was met with a nearly perfect defense, waiting for the perfect moment to counterattack. A counter-offensive that made quick work of Lala's health bar.

"…" She blinked owlishly as the game entered the third round to break the tie. But it didn't last long as a battle-hungry grin was drawn on her pink lips.

The third match started with the two opponents going all out. The gap between the two teenagers was closed, resulting in a really close battle that lasted for almost the five minutes limit, with Shirou snatching the victory with just a few pixels in his health bar.

"Haah…" The auburn-haired boy let out the air he had been holding and let his body relax. "You gave me a run for my money there, Lala. Did you really have so much time to spare?"

"Hehehe… Well, it wasn't until my father started thinking about retiring that all the princess stuff began for real. But I must say, you are way better than most of the people I fought online."

"More like… you know. I'm applying knowledge from my other specialty."

"Yeah, it's kinda obvious how you play with pure reflex and predictions rather than practiced movements. Another one?"

"You're on." Shirou immediately inserted another couple of coins, pretty much forgetting about Haruna's existence beside them.

And now the fights became way more brutal and eye-catching. If Haruna didn't know better, she would say she stumbled upon a professional competition. And that seemed to be what all the people around thought because before she realized it, they were completely surrounded by people watching the match with interest or outright awe.

They reached the third round again, and Shirou's expression became really focused as he mashed the buttons. A small, competitive smile showed on his face, mirroring Lala's, and some drops of sweat could be seen on their foreheads.

But in the end, it began to show how Shirou's thoughts started to go way faster than his hands could enter the right inputs, giving Lala the etch she needed to finally claim complete victory.

"Wow! That was amazing!"

"That was fire, bro!"

"Where did this gamer girl pop up from!?"

Before she could celebrate, the crowd around them burst in applause and praises, all of them directed exclusively to the victor. The loser was completely ignored, but at that point, he wasn't even surprised.

"Would you play against me?"

"Really!? But I don't have money on me."

"That won't be a problem, miss."

Shirou opened his mouth to clear the crowd but seeing that half of it dispersed and the other half was composed by people who just wanted to challenge her, he let it be. Instead, he eyed the blue-haired girl beside him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Sairenji. I got kinda absorbed there."

"Don't worry, Yuuki-kun. It was fun to see, too. But you won't blame me if I want this to be my turn to have fun with you, will you?" Fortunately, she didn't seem that upset about it if he was reading between the lines right. And Lala was also giving them her blessing to spend some time alone.

"Of course. Do you have a preference?"

"Let's see…" Her blue eyes combed the entire room, searching for the videogame that would suit her plan best. And ended up landing in one of those old, sci-fi shooters. "What about that one."

"Works for me, I guess." Shirou shrugged. He didn't have a preference as such. But unfortunately for her, if there was a game he would be unbeatable at, it would be one that required precision, and holding back wasn't his strong point.

Shirou put two coins in the machine, and they grabbed the fake guns to familiarize themselves with their grip and aim. But before Shirou hit the start button, Haruno spoke up.

"Err… Since you seem to be experienced… Yuuki-kun, would you please teach me how to hold a gun?"

Her question was met with a raised eyebrow. "This isn't a real gun, so there is no need to change the archery stance you are using."

"Eh?" She let out a confused voice, but after a closer look, he was right.

She was standing sideways, with her legs far apart and her left arm holding the pistol completely stretched, while her right arm was retracted as if she were to notch an arrow.

"Whoops! This… this must be a really weird coincidence! I've never practiced kyudo in my life, fufufu… Still, would you humor me?"

Shirou half-closed his eyes for a moment. She was technically right. The way she was about to notch an imaginary arrow didn't resemble kyudo, or any Japanese style for that matter. However, it was impossible to casually take a perfect, shooting stance when the only sport she practiced was one which required constant movement in a very small area.

But maybe he was just reading things too much.

"Okay. I'm no expert, but let's correct that stance."

He walked behind her, and just as she had been hoping for, his firm hands landed on her slender arms, and slowly adjusted her stance.

Haah… The way she could feel his warmth again… The way his breath was hitting the back of her neck like a quiet breeze… She had to put a real effort into not directly showing her excited face. Though her cheeks were on fire and some vapor was leaving her lips with each breath.

"There. Holding the gun like this with two hands would not only help you manage the recoil but also improve your aim at mid distances."

"Aha…" She nodded without even thinking, and Shirou pressed the start button to begin the game.

Even if she could easily hit all the approaching monsters, she missed some on purpose to force Shirou to keep helping her.

"Let me show you." He took control of her hands and started aiming for her. Their precision then became perfect, not leaving any monster even approach and quickly raising the score.

"Hehehe…" A chuckle escaped Haruna's lips, but rather than an excited laugh, it came out in a quite disturbing way.

"I think you'll be fine from now on." However, her pure happiness ended up being but a fleeting dream when Shirou suddenly released her and went on to pick up his gun.

He then proceeded to obliterate anything that popped on the screen and gave points to the player, while a shock struck Haruna pulled herself together after losing his warmth. By the time she came to her senses, the golden-eyed boy was already doubling her already high score.

"Tsk." She clucked her tongue in an unladylike manner and started to bend her frustration by joining the fray and shooting down the targets just as quickly.

Their individual scores were raising in equal measure, but their combined score was skyrocketing in an almost literal sense. The previous record quickly disappeared in the distance, and the way the loud sound indicating a high combo without missing a single bullet reverberated throughout the entire place inevitably attracted another crowd.

But once the chime sounded to announce the end of the game after the final boss was demolished in less than ten seconds, the expression on Haruna's face scared off the people before anyone could cheer for them. A mixture of frustration and exhaustion that resulted in something really unladylike.

"Are you okay?" Shirou asked a little worried, prompting her to catch her breath and straighten her back.

"Yes… Yes, I'm okay."

"I must give credit where it's due. You must be really talented to be able to keep up with me if this was really your first time in this kind of precision game."

"Ahaha… Yeah, I am surprised myself…" She trailed her words, trying to not exteriorize that she realized the cause of that.

And seeing Shirou's lack of reaction, she must have done a decent job.

"Hey, Haruna-san, Shirou!" Just this once, she was grateful to hear Lala's high-pitched voice, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two. "I finished beating everyone! What's the next stop?"

Just as she said, the machine she had been playing with was not surrounded by grim-looking teenagers. She had been expecting a challenge, but it seemed today there wasn't any real pro gamer around.

"I still have some coins to spare. Do you have another preference?"

The trio spent another hour enjoying themselves at the arcade, with no other player daring to approach them. After trying pretty much all the games offered by the establishment, they also visited a nearby bowling alley, but the experience was somewhat ruined when Lala punched a hole through the ceiling in one of her throws.

And after that came what Shirou had been trying to delay as much as he could.

Their stop at the clothes store.

Once there, Haruna begrudgingly gave Lala advice and helped find the clothes that best suited her, and Shirou tried to apply his strategy of staying so incredibly still that he went unnoticed, achieving a great rank of Presence Concealment.

The key word was "tried".

"Shirou, what do you think!? Does this suit me?" Lala rushed at him with the first set of clothes she and Haruna agreed on.

The only gesture she got from him was a raised eyebrow. But after some minutes of intense staring, he finally opened his mouth. "Lala… why do you think I asked for backup in this matter?"

"Oh, c'mon! Even I know this is where the boy says 'Yeah, you look really good in those'."

"Do you want me to throw in a cliché line that will sound completely artificial?"

"Just humor her, Yuuki-kun." Haruna chimed in while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Haah… Fine… Those would look good on you, Lala."

A smile made its way to the alien's lips despite the absolute lack of emotion behind those words. "See? It wasn't that hard."

Repeating that sentence with every set of clothes became torture, only surpassed by seeing their price tags. But after half an hour, they finally settled, and Lala entered one of the changing rooms with the final selection of clothes.

They were finally alone again. This was Haruna's chance-

"Err… Actually…" But before that line even finished crossing her mind, a pink-haired head popped out of the curtain. "Can any of you help me dress?"

""Wat?"" Both the golden-eyed boy and the blue-haired girl blurted that single word in complete astonishment.

"I mean… I was used to having the servants of my family take care of that…"

Shirou's face morphed to say "Really?" without even opening his mouth, and Haruna's expression turned into a frown. Their blue and golden eyes met, but the message in those golden orbs was clear. He wasn't entering the changing room by any means.

"Ugh… fine! I'll lend you a hand."

Shirou's figure disappeared after pulling the curtain, and the image of Lala's naked body was the first thing that assaulted her blue eyes. For someone who had trouble getting dressed, she took off her clothes quite fast.

"Let's see…" She took one of the lingerie sets they chose and helped her put on the bra while Lala put on the panties. And after continuing with a set of clothes, Haruna unconsciously bit her lips.

Having her so close… Just a little spark and this would be over…. No, she had to actively suppress her killing intention from leaking. This girl might be oblivious, but Shirou would certainly be able to feel it.

"Hehehe, sorry for troubling you." Lala said after letting out an awkward chuckle. At least she was aware of how embarrassing this was for both of them, but it did little to deter the flame in Haruna.

"You don't say…"

"But actually… I wanted to thank you for something else."

"…?" Those words caught some of her attention. Her playful tone was partially gone, replaced by seriousness… and genuine gratitude.

"Thanks for getting close to Shirou. I'm not oblivious enough to not notice how most people treat him. I can't understand it though…"

That took her by surprise. Here she was, trying to push Lala away so she could have Shirou all to herself, and now Lala was innocently thanking her for that. She could even feel her hands relaxing.

Maybe she wasn't that bad…

"No, the only one who should spread love is you…"

Yeah. Even if she wasn't a whore trying to take advantage of him, the fact that she was in love with him already turned her into an eyesore.

"You might not notice it, but there is this faint, grim aura around him. Something that tells you to stay away from him. That's why most people have a bad impression when first meeting him. This one fits you pretty well, by the way."

"Uhu…" Lala started undressing with her help, but she didn't let the conversation die. "But you didn't let it deter you."

"You could say… that I love how he lives on with that fact. How he accepts it and yet he still tries to help everyone around, knowing its futility."

"Really?" She could see Lala's cheeks reddening a little. "A-and how did you meet him?"

Haruna didn't know why she was humoring the alien. Maybe it was Lala's natural charisma, or perhaps she just wanted to distract her mind from the task at hand. But they kept engaging in chit-chat while Lala tried all the clothes.

Fortunately, after what felt like hours, they were done and all their guesses were correct, so there was no need to go get other sizes and try them again.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shi-"

The moment they pulled aside the curtain, they found themselves looking in all directions, but to no avail.

""Shirou/Yuuki-kun!?""


Meanwhile, the auburn-haired boy in question casually walked out of a nearby store with a bag full of shampoos, hair gels, and bath salts.

After waiting for fifteen minutes and hearing how they were already in their own world, he decided to make use of the time and make some shopping in advance. Since Lala was starting to take a liking to Japanese baths, their shortage was running thin quicker than he expected.

"I don't know how, but I'm definitely sending the bill to her father…" Shirou murmured under his breath.

Even if his parents' jobs provided enough money to cover those expenses and then some, he couldn't just deplete them like. More so when they were still oblivious to Lala's presence.

He decided to put aside that can of worms and focus on the matter at hand. But his legs didn't bring him back to the clothes shop where he left the girls, not yet. First, he entered a dark alley he had spotted during their first stroll through the zone, and after reaching the wall at the end of it, he spun with quick footwork.

There was no one there, but his sixth sense told him otherwise. Someone had started following them closely since pretty much the start of the "date". But up to this point, he had yet to discern their identity, and unless it was an Assassin servant with a really high tank in their Presence Concealment skill, there had to be a trick.

"Trace, on…" He activated his magic circuits and pumped magical energy into his eyes. Those already hawk-like eyes now were able to tell even the slightest of cracks in the concrete, and even the air currents.

It took him some seconds, discarding possibilities like some kind of chameleonic alien, a shapeshifter like the last one, or even a being who could blend with the shadows. In the end, it was way simpler than that.

"Bingo…"

For a regular human, even if they were able to spot it, it would look like a regular fly. But the golden-eyed boy could easily tell that particular fly was actually made out of steel and synthetic materials.

The possibility of a remote drone crossed his mind, but he discarded it. That wouldn't explain the supernatural presence it gave off, and he doubted a magus from the Clock Tower was behind something so technologically advanced.

There is only one way to find it out…

"Hey, you! State your business if you don't want me to destroy your little toy."

His voice came as cold as it did seconds before he "cleaned that mess" yesterday. However, after waiting several seconds, there was no response. No cocky speech like the first two suitors, neither fear of his killing intent.

That confirmed it was a remotely piloted drone.

"Well, I warned you."

With his patience having reached its limit, a black key was projected into his hand, and he threw it at the "fly" with pint point accuracy. The sacramental blade obliterated the gadget before piercing one of the side walls of the alley, and the presence was felt no more.

He ordered the sword to scatter in light specks, and he was about to walk outside the alley just as casually when his enhanced vision noticed something. The place where the black key landed was now a small stain of a blood-like red liquid.

Shirou stared at it for a moment… before shrugging and going on his way.

Just another corpse to the pile then.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, girls…"

In fact, the number of bags that he saw beside the two girls waiting for him ranked higher on his list of concerns. His impassive face quickly turned into one of pain.

"Yuuki-kun, where were you?"

"Making an efficient use of time." He refused to give more details as he used 70% of his budget for the day in this single purchase. The shop clerk even gave him a pitiful look.

But at least not everything was bad news. It seemed he made a good call leaving the two girls alone. The hostility between them- no, scratch that. Haruna's hostility was still present, but it was way weaker than before.

"Let's see…" After walking out of the tent, he left the multiple bags on the ground and checked the hour with his cell phone. "Lunchtime already… Do you guys want to eat somewhere around while we are at it or are we going separate ways?"

"No, it would be a waste to call it a day here, Yuuki-kun." The blue-haired girl gave him another of her trademark smiles. "I know of a good place nearby, and actually, I wanted to make a proposal. Why don't you two accompany me to my club's practice this afternoon? I can even convince the others to let you participate as a trial practice."

"Really!? Thanks, Haruna! Count me in!" While that immediately got Lala excited, just as planned, Shirou squinted at her.

"Since when do clubs practice on weekends in our school?"

Her smile didn't waver, and she replied without missing a beat. "Not usually, but the summer competitions are around the corner, so the director lets us use the school grounds."

That… explained it. Given that the Tennis Club is formed by mostly girls, it must have been quite easy for them to convince that pervert.

"Okay, lead the way then."

The trio then waved through the bustling streets until reaching a small restaurant that wasn't packed. A hidden jewel as Sairenji put it. It wasn't as fancy as the others, but the smell already told them that their kitchen wasn't falling behind.

Shirou and Lala ordered curry while Sairenji got herself a cup of udon, and the service brought the dishes quite fast. Lunch became a silent matter then since the pink-haired alien was too busy devouring the new "delicacy" in front of her to cheer up the atmosphere. So, it fell upon him to start the conversation begrudgingly.

"So… how did you find this place? I must admit, the food is good even for my standards."

"Right? I and my friends have eaten at basically all the restaurants in the area."

"Oh? So you too like to taste all kinds of food rather than sticking to one trusty place."

The blue-haired girl let out a chuckle. "You could say that it gave us a sense of accomplishment, but no. When you go out with your friends so frequently, you end up wanting to try different places."

"Yeah…" That hit a sore spot, and she knew it. But at the same time, it was an invitation to do this more often.

The conversation died there though. The boy couldn't think of another topic to redirect the conversation, and the girl seemed to be waiting for a better chance to say something.

Lala noticed it and decided to once again leave them alone for a moment. "I got to go to the toilet for a moment. If you order desserts, don't forget about me!"

She pretty much made a run for the bathrooms, leaving Shirou with a troubled face. Letting her go unsupervised most likely would result in a headache, but he couldn't just follow her in this situation.

"Now that we are alone…" Sairenji's voice attracted his attention back to the girl sitting in front of him. "I wanted to thank you for yesterday."

He blinked a couple of times, but the soft smile in her expression didn't vanish. "Um… thank me for what exactly?"

"After waking up in the infirmary and asking around, some students told me it was you who brought me there after fainting. I've never had a problem like anemia, so I was quite scared. Once again, thanks for saving me there, Yuuki-kun."

Shirou scratched his cheek awkwardly. He was expecting everyone that saw him to pretend that didn't happen, or outright tell her he was touching her inappropriately or something along those lines. A heartfelt thanks… he didn't see this coming.

"No, don't mention it. Everyone would have done the same… and it was kinda my fault."

"Oh, don't sell yourself, Yuuki-kun~" She gently took his hand across the table as she spoke. "I doubt most of the students would have helped me in such a situation. Just like you were the only one who stepped in to fix that mess years ago. I like that part of you. That's why… I do more things like this with you. Get to know you more~ Get closer and closer~"

Her voice sweet voice was mesmerizing, to the point that it could very well bring most men down to her feet. Her beauty became somewhat more emphasized… more supernatural, and her gentle touch should be enough to melt anyone's heart. Even some of the people around turned to look at her, attracted by her divine aura.

"Um… Would you really ditch your friends like that?"

The girl in front of him barely suppressed her eagerness after hearing that frail attempt at defense. "If it is to be with you, I wouldn't mind."

The reaction she got after that indirect confession was… blank stare? As it turned out, it wasn't a last attempt of defense, but his way of being subtle.

"Sairenji, don't you think this is way creepier than usual? You're upgrading to competitive harassing here. You should start rethinking your life choices if that's the conclusion you've come to."

The mystical aura around them was completely demolished, and Haruna's eyes slowly widened in utter shock. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. And that, he wasn't expecting. Was it really that surprising that he rejected her for the umpteenth time?

"Kyaaa!?"

"What the…"

But before any of the two could say something, a commotion broke out in the restaurant out of the blue. Shirou immediately turned around to look in the direction of the panicked voices… and the sight that met him left him just as baffled as Haruna.

There was some kind of weird robot that looked like one of those cleaning robots, but with additional appendages holding brushes, mops, and weird bottles he assumed were some type of space detergent, running around uncontrollably and cleaning everyone's table, including the dishes with food still in them. And, of course, Lala was running behind it.

"Lala!? What the hell is that thing!?"

"Oh, Shirou!" She sent him an apologetic look. "Help me stop wishy-wash-kun! I brought it out to clean the toilet, as it wasn't in the best condition, but the AI went highwire!"

He resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose and instead focused on aiming.

"Trace, on."

A sword was projected right below their table and was fired right at the robot's "forehead". The low-raking noble phantasm pierced through it with ease, stopping it dead.

That was his mark. Before anyone could react, he immediately burst from his chair, with all the bags entangled with his arms, grabbed one of the robot's appendages, took Lala's hand, and made a run for the exit, grabbing Haruna's hand the way. The three teenagers were out of the building in an exhalation, the only proof of their existence being the money left on the table they had been eating on.

Enough to cover the lunch and then some to cover any inconvenience.


After a quick stop at Haruna's department for her to grab her tracksuit, and another for Lala to "pick hers" and Shirou to drop the bags, the three were already on their way to the school. The blue-haired girl seemed to be back to her usual self, at least on the outside, so Shirou decided to pretend that the lunatic confession never happened.

But when they finally got to the door leading to the school grounds… it was closed.

"Oh my. I guess it was inevitable to be the first ones to arrive given the hour." Haruna didn't bulge under their questioning stares and took out a set of keys from her bag to his surprise.

Did the director just give a student a set of keys to open pretty much any door in the school? That was way over the top even for that pervert.

After some attempts, they finally found the right key and opened the fence. The difference between the atmosphere of that place now and yesterday was immense. The deafening silence and the lack of a single person aside from them in a place meant to house hundreds of people daily inevitably evoked a sense of wrongness.

Of course, that didn't apply to a foreigner like Lala, and the girl there was no hint of hesitation in the steps of the girl leading them. But for someone as lonely as Shirou, the sense of dread that assailed him the moment they set foot inside the school grounds must come from something else.

His golden eyes combed the entire place, making sure there wasn't another mechanical fly around, but the place was effectively desert. The only supernatural presence he could feel around was Lala's, which was quite big. And yet, he couldn't shoo away that inkling feeling.

Their feet led them to the school's gym, the place with changing rooms nearest to the tennis courts.

"Wait here, Yuuki-kun. We won't take long~"

"Hehe, I can't wait to finally play tennis."

The blue-haired girl winked at him before entering the building, and Lala followed her, enthusiasm written all over her face.

Shirou stayed outside, not wanting to inevitably impress the Tennis club and give Haruna more reasons to pester him. But the wait started to get long from his perspective now that he was alone… and the sense of dread slowly grew to an unbearable extent.

Was really one of those suitors a threat big enough to trigger his instincts? Or was Alice right? But he couldn't just peep on them…

"…!" The sound of approaching steps caused his body to tense. I could have been one of the Tennis Club's members, but the immense supernatural presence immediately discarded that option.

However, the moment he finally spotted the person approaching him… all the seriousness disappeared, replaced by exasperation.

"Finally! I got you, fake Saber!" A certain Saberface wearing a blue tracksuit pointed at him with her finger and ahoge, her face filled with annoyance.

Shirou couldn't resist and caressed his forehead. "Oh for the love of God… You again? Do you seriously don't have anything better to do than harass people?"

"Shut up! Do you have any idea how much it took to find you!? After having that nice nurse treating me to a meal at that shady underground clinic, I had to waste all those precious calories running around and fighting all those weirdos! Just what in the galaxy did you do for every alien in this town to be after your head!? This was supposed to be just one of those side-quest you accidentally skipped! Why do I have to work like when I was an agent."

A drop of sweat slid down the boy's temple as he listened to her hysterical monologue. "Well, I'm sorry, X, was it? But I don't give two shits about your personal crisis. If you want someone to hear about your problems, I can find you a psychologist."

"My only problem is YOU!" Her Holy Sword answered her call, and he found himself once again at the other end of its tip. "Just let me beat you and I can finally claim my rightful title as the savior of the universe!"

"Hold up a moment! That doesn't make any sense at all! Why would defeating all the Sabers "save the universe" in the first place!?"

"You know nothing! You can't even fathom how it feels to see so many servants with my face! So many third-rate nobody's claiming to be the strongest class just because they had a sword! Most of them couldn't even fire beams! If something wasn't done, the Saber class would have become just another one of the bunch, like the Lancers!"

At that point, he didn't know if he should start laughing or keep sighing at the way she completely took all that nonsense seriously.

"And here I thought I was the only one with problems about wanting to smack someone with the same face…"

"See!" Crap! He said that out loud! "I knew your face was familiar! You look just like a younger version of that red Archer working at Chaldea Academy's cafeteria!"

"Pfft!" The golden-eyed boy choked on his own tongue. The possibility of meeting a weird version of himself in this messed-up universe was always there, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

"F-forget about my doppelganger! I believe you were about to explain why in the hell did you come back for another round now that you know I'm no Saber."

"It doesn't matter." Her face became a stoic mask as she took that nonsensical stance of her "Saber Ninja Arts". "For once, the fact that you are a fake makes it worse. And for another, I refuse to leave our battle as a draw."

Shirou gritted his teeth before calming the rage swelling in his heart. All the bullshit unfolding after he reincarnated in this universe, he could cope with it. But, he didn't need to be constantly reminded that he was just a shadow casted by a bright star of hope.

"No more games then. Trace, on." The weapon that was called upon his hands as he turned into a cold predator wasn't his usual pair of Yin-Yang swords, but a black, cursed sword.

A noble phantasm that was most remembered for being a holy sword wielded by a dazzling knight who slew a dragon, but in his hand, it became a horrid demonic sword as it did when a vengeful princess used it to behead the betrayer. Its core became thin, pulsating with a magma-like color, and the jewel in its hilt moved to the center of the guard, taking the appearance of a creepy eye.

A sword that was no longer meant to protect, but to ensure the kill. So much in fact that its curse would cause even heroic spirits to get tunnel vision on their target and forget their surroundings. But such a trifling curse couldn't affect a more horrible monster like him, making the sword feel at home in his hands.

Seconds passed in tense silence as the two servants stared at each other, with their bodies in complete tension.

""HAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"" Until they finally kicked the ground and rushed at the opponent while letting out beast-like roars.

Their swords clashed with a thunderous sound, shaking the entire school and giving the cue for a ferocious battle. A way more brutal exchange of blows that made it seem as if their fight yesterday were just a friendly bout.

Meanwhile…

Lala hummed as she put on the already-transformed Peke. Having to hide his existence was starting to become quite the pain, but out of consideration for Shirou, she was willing to work with this convoluted façade.

Once done, she took a look at her reflection in the mirror above the taps and stretched her body.

"I must admit, this uniform is way comfier and easy to move around than the regular one. It's a pity we can only use it in one subject." She tried to make conversation with the blue-haired girl, who stayed abnormally quiet ever since they entered the changing room.

But again, no voice answered after she finished speaking. It was starting to be concerning if he was being honest.

"Haruna-san, what's the-" She was turning around to look at Haruna directly, but she stopped midway when her entire body tensed on reflex. Alarms were firing in her head, and her now sharpened senses detected a slight tremor in the building.

That feeling of something unnatural happening, even with her alien perspective…

"Don't tell me… Shirou got into another fight?"

Those words escaped her lips before she could rationalize that there was a civilian with her, but as luck might have it, there was no need to keep appearances. But that in itself didn't necessarily mean good news.

"…!" The alarms got louder as a chill ran down her spine.

She caught an abnormal glow behind her in the reflection of the mirror, and before she knew it, her body was already ducking. She could have sworn that a blast of blue flames passed right through where her head had been a moment ago, and she confirmed it after seeing the melted hole in the mirror.

The instinctive reaction most likely saved her from a really grave injury.

Faster than ever in her life, Lala shot up and spun around to look at the mysterious attacker. However, her blood started to run cold as her brain processed the sight in front of her.

There was no mysterious third party. The only person in the changing room aside from her was Haruna… but at the same time, she had trouble recognizing the girl in front of her.

There was no sight of the sweet girl that accompanied them that morning. There she was, standing between Lala and the sunlight entering through the windows. That should have obscured her face, but the pink-haired alien could see it clear as day due to the blue flames covering her raised arm.

A twisted smile adorned her face, while those blue eyes stared down at her as if she were less and a miserable insect.

"Heh, I guess it wouldn't be that easy given that you're an alien. But oh well, this will just take some more seconds."

"Haruna…" Lala uttered her name, unable to comprehend what happened here. "What… Why are you…"

And that got a giggle from the blue-haired girl. "Fufufu. Don't tell me. That genius brain of yours can't catch up with the situation? How cute. But as a show of my boundless love, I'll spell it out for you."

Haruna's smile then became intoxicatingly sweet, and Lala could feel something in her mind telling her to submit to her. Like a gentle voice whispering into her ear, tempting her to just drop her guard and accept her fate.

"Kuh!" But Charmian blood running through her veins screamed in protest, and she managed to push away the influence. Huge drops of sweat slid down her forehead, and her breath became a ragged mess.

"Not bad, fufufu. Well, let's get to the point then. I don't want to give you more love than necessary. The thing is, that you ruined everything, Lala-san."

"What… do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb, Lala. You know what I mean. Shirou and I were the only special people in the school, so it was only natural for us to end up together. I spent years observing him. Carefully planning how I would drown such a nihilist person in my love. But then an alien suddenly popped out of nowhere, hogged him all to herself, and even made him change! That was supposed to be me!"

The intensity of her tone kept growing with each word while her face slowly turned into a frightening frown. By the end of it, her voice came out as shouts and her hostility was overbearing. But just when she finished, she returned to her "sweetheart" persona.

"So, I don't think I need to tell you what I'm going to do to fix that."

The alien's emerald eyes blinked, the surprise overshadowing the murderous intention overflowing from the blue-haired girl.

What kind of psychotic reaction was that!? Nothing of what she said made any sense! That was way too much even for bipolar disorder. Was it a dissociative personality disorder? No, judging by that aura similar to Shirou's or that crazy, blonde girl… was she possessed by an evil servant?

Lala swallowed noisily as she took her decision. Her gaze hardened, and her hand started to slowly reach for her D-dial.

"Haruna-san… I don't know what exactly happened to you, but you have to resist! I'll do my best to bring you back!"

This time, it was Haruna's turn to look at her completely perplexed. And at the next moment, she busted out laughing.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the conclusion you arrived at!? And here I thought the intelligent life forms in this universe progressed after billions of years. I guess I shouldn't have bothered explaining and just end this shitshow."

There was barely any time to react. Both of Haruna's arms wrapped themselves in blue flames just before firing a hellish torrent that instantly melted everything on its path.

"PEKE!"

"Yes, Lala-sama!"

While Lala jumped out of the way, her personal robot quickly shapeshifted to her bizarre outfit. It protected her from the immense heat in the room, but the flames themselves didn't seem to have that much trouble.

"This is absurd! Those flames can easily melt through the material you used to fabricate me!"

"Afraid so!" She shouted as she rolled around to avoid more bursts of blue flames.

She couldn't keep dodging forever. She was quickly running out of the unburned floor. But as she scrolled through her gadget inventory in her D-dial, she was quickly realizing that 99% percent of her inventions weren't meant to be used in combat. At least not in this king of combat.

"Fufufu! You are quite versed in squirming around like a bug!"

"Kuh… Think, Lala! There must be something I can use-" Her eyes widened when she finally came up with something. She could lack a proper weapon, but she could certainly improvise something.

"Come, Sticky-Gooey Launcher-kun!" A huge futuristic cannon-like gun was summoned over her shoulder and quickly fired a barrage of projectiles made out of pink goo.

"Oh?" The very fact that the girl in front of her actually tried to fight back already surprised Haruna, allowing for the sticky substance to impact her arms and upper body. "Gross. When I called you a bug, I didn't expect you to play the part that well-"

The precious seconds she wasted observing her dirty hands were more than enough for Lala to cross the distance between them and tackle her. The next moment, Haruna found herself with her body pressed against the ground, with Lala using her full weight to pin her down and trying to tie her hands with some kind of rope made out of steel.

"Tsk! What do you think you're doing, mortal!"

"Stop resisting Haruna-san! I'll make it quick!"

Regardless of how much she struggled, she couldn't shake off Lala. Much to her dismay, the alien was proving to be way superior in terms of pure physical strength.

On Lala's side though, she was struggling to keep her in check while she thought of a way to "exorcise" her. Ghosts weren't exactly the kind of thing a girl of science like her studied, so the safest way would be to knock her out and work with the expert, namely Shirou.

Unfortunately, the fact that she was hesitating to hit the back of her head with enough strength allowed the blue-haired girl to build up power.

"Lala-sama, watch out! The temperature is rising even more than before!"

"…!"

Peke's warning barely arrived in time. Just an instant after Lala jumped away, a massive burst of flames shot out from Haruna's body. The glasses of the windows shattered, and a pillar of blue flames punched through the ceiling.

And the figure that emerged from the flames took away Lala's breath. Blood-red eyes that shone with primal power, long hair that was now pure white and showed the sight of a galaxy. Her slender body was now barely covered with pieces of golden floral-themed ornaments and purple cloth, and her arms and legs looked as if they had been deeply burned by those blue flames.

Even for an alien like her, foreign to the mythology on Earth or the other side of the universe, there was only one word that popped in her mind to describe the being in front of her.

"A Goddess…"

"Now you've done it..." Those pink lips parted to speak with annoyance. "I didn't want to take up the role of the Goddess of Love so prematurely, but here you have it. I shall sink you and Shirou in the depths of depravity~"

Lala found herself swallowing loudly, her entire body sweating bullets due to the rising temperature. She knew her father was the most feared being in the galaxy, but did he really ever face something like this?

"Haruna-san… No, you don't even sound like her anymore!"

"Heh, you are right, mortal. Haruna went on sabbatical after her natural charm enhanced by my authority failed to even make Shirou flinch, so I thought of accepting the challenge myself. Regardless of how thickheaded he might be, I, Kama, the primordial Goddess of Love and Lust, will make him fall head over hills like a primitive beast."

She wasn't expecting the Goddess to tell her life story just like that, but it helped her to visualize the next escape route in time.

"Now, off you go!" This time, Kama didn't just shoot a burst of flames. Instead, she summoned what looked like a golden Vajra almost as long as her height and threw it at her like a fiery arrow!

"Peke!" The pink-haired girl jumped away just in time before the "arrow" punched through the concrete with terrifying ease. However, before landing again, her robot assistant deployed her anti-gravity wing, allowing her to quickly maneuver her way through the door and out of the changing rooms.

The problem was that that door led to a really tight hallway. The distance to the basket court was just ten meters, but judging by the sound of rocks getting demolished, it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.

"Kyah!" The Vajra emerged from the ground, grazing her side. As Peke deduced, the flames easily melted the material he was made of and left a nasty burn on her pristine skin.

But there was no time to waste, as the "arrow" kept coming at her like a homing missile. No, that kind of projectile had a limit. In this case, it seemed more as if Kama was controlling it mentally.

"In that case!" She used her superhuman senses to track the location of the Vajra and calculate the direction in which it would come next. Meanwhile, magical energy started to accumulate at the tip of her black tail.

Now that she didn't have to worry about hurting Haruna, she could let loose a little.

"There!" The moment the "arrow" emerged from the ceiling, she pointed her tail at it and fired a beam of raw energy.

The impact managed to deflect its trajectory, and at the same time, the recoil propelled her out of the corridor. She pressed her boots against the floor to reduce her momentum, but she was quickly reminded how polished was the floor and why the basketball players had to use special shoes.

"Whoa!" Meaning, she almost tripped and fell flat on her ass.

After she finally managed to regain her balance, she looked at the entrance to the hallway she came out, and saw Kama floating there with her depraved smile, with her right hand stretched and holding what looked like a… black orb?

But she wasn't shooting it at her for some reason… wait!

It was then that she caught a myriad of black orbs floating around her, forming a dome that completely cut any escape route.

"Oh shoot-" The next moment, Kama crushed the orb in her hand, and all the orbs around Lala darted toward her like demonic bullets.

Even so, Lala didn't give up. Pushing her flexibility and reflexes to the utmost limits, she clumsily dodged all the orbs. "Kuh!" Most of them grazed her, taking away more chunks of Peke and leaving more burns that were starting to pile up.

Still, it was a miraculous display given the circumstances, or so it seemed from the outside perspective. For Lala, it became clear that the gaps between the attacks were left on purpose. The Goddess was still playing with her.

The seemingly endless barrage actually lasted no more than a couple of seconds, and by the end of it, the pink-haired Alien felt the fatigue weighing down on her. But, unfortunately, there was no time to rest. The moment she raised her tired head, she was met with a really gorgeous face barely inches away from her.

"Boo!"

Kama delighted herself with the micro heart attack Lala suffered but didn't waste a second to raise her fist. Her golden Vajra followed her motion, and she punched down with it, her smile turning maniac.

"Agh!" Barely in time, Lala raised the only thing at her disposal in a desperate attempt to defend herself and was violently knocked away.

The sheer strength caused her to destroy the spotless floor on impact, forming a crater. But much to Kama's utter bafflement and annoyance, she was still in one piece, her stretched hand holding her D-dial.

"Oh my, what is that thing made of?"

The only answer she got was an unladylike grunt as Lala forced her way up and Peke struggled to reform himself around her almost naked body.

"You know, as much as I enjoy seeing you struggle and suffer, it's starting to become really annoying. Why in hell won't you die already."

"No… I'm not giving up… I'm not letting you take away… one of the very few people that care for Shirou!"

The pink-haired girl's unwavering defiance caused Kama's face to twist in a grimace. "Ugh, and now you give me that crap? The power of love and friendship isn't getting you anywhere. Especially against me of all people."

"No! You resisted well, Lala-sama!" A familiar voice suddenly interrupted them before a figure in grey pierced through the ceiling and dropped on Kama with a shining, green sword.

The Goddess grunted as she commanded her Vajra to deflect the surprise attack, repelling the grey knight towards the pink-haired princess. The expression on her face immediately brightened the moment she finally confirmed his identity.

"Zastin! Wha- how-"

"I'm always keeping an eye on you, Princess Lala. My directive is to let Shirou-dono handle things, but he's already dealing with another matter, and this fiendish woman doesn't have anything to do with the competition for your hand."

He winked at her before focusing on the Goddess ahead, no doubt trying to look cool in front of her. The beating he received from Shirou must have hurt his pride more than she thought.

"Now then! I will be your opponent, mysterious, good-looking woman who popped out of nowhere just to commit a crime against Deviluke's royal family! Prepare yourself!"

The armored alien kicked the ground and crossed the distance in a heartbeat, swinging his laser sword down at her head. Expectedly, the Goddess effortlessly dodged it, gracefully floating around the strike and stepping inside his guard.

"…!" But Zastin's eyes widened as he found himself unable to retaliate with the pommel of his sword. No matter how hard he tried, his arms weren't moving, and his green eyes couldn't help but focus on the approaching, gorgeous face and the sweet smile drawn on it.

"Fufufu~ What do we have here? A knight in shining armor in this day and age?" Her flaming hand closed in and caressed his cheek, but the warmth he felt was gentle and mesmerizing. "Oh~ Why so stiff? A royal knight should be honored to be in front of a Goddess. But I can tell, you must have your work cut serving that royal family filled with freaks. You know. I would even reward you handsomely if you choose to serve me instead."

Lala started to feel a pit in her stomach as those honeyed words came out from Kama's mouth and entered the knight's ear. He was stiff as a board, probably trying to resist, but it was short-lived judging by the way his body relaxed, and he turned around to focus on her.

"I'm sorry, Princess Lala, but Lady Kama here made an offer I cannot refuse."

"Zastin!? I know you were never able to resist Mama's charm, but you lost too fast!"

She never considered it, but if she somehow managed to get out of this situation, she was definitely working on a device to dispel charms.

"Go, my knight! Seal the deal by killing your former liege!"

Zastin stopped talking and obeyed his new master's command. Lala could only greet her teeth and ready her fists. She didn't do this out of consideration when she was running away, but she had no choice-

"You are a shame for all the bodyguards in the universe!"

However, before Lala could throw the first punch, a shadow leaped from behind her and met Zastin's charge in her instead. Well, met wouldn't be the best way to describe it, as the knight's dulled senses couldn't react in time before the figure wrapped her legs around his neck.

Using all her weight, the interloper spun forward and threw Zastin back at Kama like a rag doll.

"Whoaaaaaa!"

The poor man could only scream, all his senses completely scrambled around. And with another flick of her hand, Kama had her Vajra intercept him, redirecting him upwards and causing him to fly out of the building through the same hole he entered.

Lala paid it no mind, her eyes instead watching the girl that landed in front of her. She was clad in traditional-looking clothes, but that white hair tied in a ponytail gave her away.

"Tomoe-san?"

"You can rest now, Lady Lala. We'll take it from here." Another voice coming from behind her answered the unasked question. "We might not be the galactic police, but as fellow servants, it's up to us to deal with this troublemaker."

A regal lady in a blue dress that didn't fit the battlefield walked past her calmly, followed by her black-haired maid, and the trio faced the Goddess that sported an irritated look.

"Well, look at who arrived. The comedy trio. This is just fantastic. Just when I thought this day couldn't be more horrible."

"Please, don't worry. You are hardly the most troublesome servant the Shining Blue Galaxy has seen. We'll just beat some sense into you and send you packing."

Luvia's confident retort caused Kama's lips to form an "o" before drawing an amused smile. "Fufufu, really? A Goddess reduced to be a mere pseudo-servant thinks she is in the same league as me? I don't know if I should call you funny or hopeless. But go on, humor me. What do you plan to do with just a pair of half-backed servants in your toe?"

Despite the countless black orbs forming behind Kama and the way her flames grew in power and intensity, the blonde's smile didn't waver in the least.

"Confident, aren't we? This will be quick then."

Lala could see literal sparks between the two Goddesses. The tension between them could be touched, and it would make any regular person faint.

"Fallen Goddesses… Servants… Onis… Vampires… At the end of the day, all of you are the same in the face of my flames of corruption. Samsara Kama."

After pronouncing those powerful words, all hell broke loose. All the black orbs were fired at them, alongside massive beams of condensed blames coming out of her charred limbs. The entire building was razed to the ground, it was a miracle it didn't just collapse.

But amidst the myriad of lights and explosions, a figure stood tall. Luvia- no, Astraea, clad in her divine armor, held the scales symbolizing her authority in front of the group. The attacks of the evil Goddess bounced off harmlessly, for those scales had yet to judge her sins.

"Tomeo, Alice, I'll create a path!"

""Yes, ma'am!""

A set of gems was summoned in her free hand, filled to the bream with magical energy, and she threw them into the raging storm of blue flames.

They were immediately shattered, and in turn, released what could only be described as a rain of comets. Like small shooting stars, they pierced through the flames and momentarily stopped the barrage.

Albeit lasting a few seconds, it was more than enough for the two servants beside her to shoot forth in opposite directions. Tomoe on her end summoned a red katana wrapped in hellish flames and used it to cut through the attacks, quickly making her way towards Kama.

The burning blade aimed for her neck, but just like she did with Zastin moments ago, she effortlessly floated around it. Despite the dazzling swordsmanship of the warrior maiden, none of her attacks were able to hit their mark, as if she were trying to cut the air itself.

"Fufufu~ Do you think a simple knife can hurt me, the Ananga?"

"How about this then!" The katana was switched for a naginata also in flames. No, the flames came from her body itself like a mana burst, before she slammed the blade on the ground, creating a literal eruption of magma.

However, the Goddess just floated away from the attack while giggling. "What did I just say?"

"That you are apparently unable to keep track of two targets."

Her red eyes widened as she turned around to see a certain maid falling from above, her bare hand coming for a… swipe?

"…!" The Goddess acted on reflex, bringing out her Vajra to block just in time. The hand that had turned into a claw wasn't directly swung at her, but the crushing wind pressure it generated blew her back to the ground.

Kama quickly reduced her falling speed with her flames, but Tomoe was already going for her neck. The battle maiden and maid attacked in tandem, and any attempt of unleashing another inferno was quickly met with another rain of stars, forcing the Goddess of Love into defense.

There was plenty of room for her to maneuver though. Alice didn't seem to be putting that much effort, despite the swings from her claws being way more dangerous than Tomoe's naginata and katana techniques. And the Goddess of Justice seemed to make do with just keep throwing gems. Which was quite absurd. Why would she throw away such valuable resources as if they were disposable arrows?

She couldn't… she was just making a statement of how disgustingly rich she was, wasn't she?

"Tsk. Utterly pointless. Throwing your earthly possessions at me is like pouring drops on the ocean, you know?"

"So you are a woman of action like me, I take it? Very well, let's turn this into a real brawl then!"

As if a switch had been flipped by Kama's words, the proper lady in front of Lala disappeared as a hungry grin showed on her face. She summoned another gem into her hand, but this time, she closed her fist around it before kicking the ground with explosive strength.

"Huh!?" Red eyes widened upon seeing that fist radiating with magical energy get dangerously close to her face.

In the last possible instant, Kama tilted her body backward, avoiding the massive beam of light that was fired from Astraea's fist. She barely paid attention to the hole that became of the changing rooms, and immediately commanded her Vajra to counterattack.

"Gotcha!" But that instant she changed into offensive, Alice snuck behind her and threw a high quick so powerful even she, the formless one, felt pain.

"Gah!" For the first time, the Goddess let out a pained gasp as her body was thrown into the air. However, unfortunately, things didn't end there for her.

"All yours, Luvia-sama!" Tomoe used the same grabbing technique she used with Zastin to throw Kama right back at Astraea, who received her with open arms, in a literal sense.

"This is the finisher!" The blonde Goddess wrapped her arms around her belly, and the next thing Kama knew, the entire world in her eyes was flipped, and the back of her head and shoulders hit the ground in a splendid backdrop.

The huge impact created a massive crater, and the foundations of the building were shaken, with chunks of the ceiling and walls finally collapsing. In complete contrast, Luvia gracefully let go of Kama and struck an elegant pose as she flicked her hair while Tomoe and Alice landed beside her.

"Wow…" That was the single word that came out of Lala's mouth after processing what just happened. "That was… so cool! B-but, what are we going to do about the building!?"

"Don't worry. We'll just repair it with magecraft, Lala-sama. A single building is nothing for Luvia-sama's capabilities. More importantly…"

"Yes, we need to take good care of Haruna-san first. Even as a divine spirit pseudo-servant, there is only one person who has ever resisted my German suplex."

Luvia crouched beside the downed Goddess and stretched her hand to check her breathing and pulse. However, she stopped mid-way, her eyes widening slightly.

Her hand… it was trembling. And if that wasn't enough of a bad sign, Alice, who had been treating the situation lightheartedly up until this point, suddenly tensed.

"Luvia-sama, get away from her!"

"Fufufu~" A wicked laugh was heard throughout the ruined building just after Astraea jumped away. "Ah… I can't get enough of it. The expressions you humans make when you think you've won, just to have your hopes shattered."

In front of their surprised eyes, the Goddess rose from the ground unscathed. But that wasn't what was starting to instill fear into their heart.

Her flames took a clearer tone, almost white. Her golden ornaments turned lilac, her burnt limbs now reflected the image of a starry night like her hair too, and a crown of light appeared over her head. Her presence already triggered an instinctive fear in the three servants, and her aura seemed to be corroding the space around her, turning it into the same void her body represented.

"She isn't a divine spirit pseudo-servant! She's… a primordial Goddess! Like the one defeated two thousand years ago!"

Alice's words finally caused Astraea to lose any semblance of calmness. "Impossible… The kind of ritual needed to bring one back Tokiomi described can't be possibly replicated on this planet. The altar hasn't been displaced, and there should be no catalyst-"

Her eyes widened as she realized something, and Kama chuckled again.

"About time you realized. This planet's mythology fits quite well with Goddesses like me, don't you think? Especially for my evil side as the demonic galaxy of lust and lapse."

As if to emphasize her words, several burned hands sprouted from de distorted space, just before revealing several figures that looked just like Kama but without the crown. Despite how gorgeous all of them were, their sinister aura and twisted smiles made for a nightmarish view.

"This feeling… She's not just a primordial Goddess… She manifested in the worst extra class… A Beast…" Astraea's voice genuinely trembled as she finally realized how much did she miscalculate their opponent's threat level.

Her authority as Lady Justice might be undefeatable against evil, but that technicality kind of went through the window when the Saint Graph of that evil reached such heights.

Her eyes drifted subtly toward Alice before speaking in a pleading tone. "Alice… this might be a really good moment to bring out your noble phantasm."

The answer he received was a frown. "You don't want me to bring him out in a human city, Luvia-sama. Even if fighting fire with fire might be a good idea, there won't be a city after it."

"If we don't stop her, there won't be a Galaxy!"

"Alice-san, there is no time for hesitation on the battlefield!"

"Hey, I didn't start the corruption and you guys are already fighting amongst yourselves? But it's understandable. There is no distinction between the infinite universe and infinite love. Drown yourselves in this ceaseless pool of pleasure, mortals. Mara Avaruddha."

The original Kama started to shine even more, a clear sign of her being about to release her noble phantasm on the world, which prompted Alice to make her decision.

"Alright, I'll do it!" Her little body suddenly started to give off a massive aura, even superior to Astraea's. "Heth my call, O' Breed of Calamity! The breath of the planet will be the essence, and my blood the foundation! Your body shall serve under me, and my fate shall be your claws! Come, Pri-"

BOOM!

Both noble phantasms were interrupted when a blue blur suddenly pierced one of the walls and rammed right into the primary Kama.

"Huh? What the-"

"Hey! You can't just break the number one rule in the universe! Don't interrupt someone while they charge their noble phantasm!"

Her face was stained with a frown as she looked down to see a certain blonde "Saber", but the annoyance was immediately replaced by astonishment when she spotted the pair of Holy Swords she was wielding.

"Those swords! What are they doing-"

"Rules are meant to be broken!" Her question was left unanswered when a certain red knight covered in a dense black miasma entered the building through the hole caused by X.

"So that's your game, huh!? In that case, I'll just skip the chant!" Her body then was shrouded in an equally dense, blue miasma as her magic core roared at its maximum capacity.

X quickly charged her Holy Swords, while Shirou immediately turned the hilt of his demonic sword in response to release the true ether in the gem and instantly charge it.

"Wait-" At that fleeting moment before the two noble phantasms were released, Kama was still too dumbstruck to react. Unlike Astraea, who quickly erected a bounded field, she could only scream in a mixture of annoyance and fear.

"X-CALIBUR!"

"BALMUNG!"

The two released their swords' true names as they clashed, firing the anti-fortress and anti-army noble phantasms at point blank. Light engulfed the entire place, followed by a massive shockwave that shook the world around them.

The only ones who could see both figures at the epicenter were the knights themselves. There was a moment of struggle between them, their faces twisting with the sheer effort.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!" X screamed at the top of her lungs. Her blue eyes were shining like a pair of stars, and her tracksuit was replaced by a somewhat futuristic gear that resonated with her aura. But even so, she was not able to completely overpower him.

Her disbelief was completely valid. No matter how powerful that demonic sword and its anti-dragon trait were, there was no feasible way it could ever match the strongest illusion. And that would have been true if it were the original owner who was wielding it.

But the red knight in front of her wasn't a figure associated with killing the pinnacle of phantasmal beasts, but with becoming the pinnacle of all creatures on the planet. And he was already stronger than her.

"HAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" With a roar of his own, he drew the full potential of the demonic sword with the skill of a certain Japanese bladesmith, intending to put an end to the clash.

Balmung self-destructed, unleashing all the ether stored in its gem at once and ensuring an even greater explosion that engulfed the two figures, alongside the entirety of the school grounds.

Once the light faded out, there were no buildings to be seen, but a scorched earth filled with fuming rubble. The only life that could be seen amongst the barren land was a certain mysterious heroine with her body half-buried.

"Ugh…" Her attire was in tatters, and her body was filled with wounds and burns. But despite the massive pain she must have been feeling, a cocky smile made its way to her lips. "Heh… Even if he somehow forced a draw… my passive regeneration will allow me to… get up in a few minutes. That's a win on my book…"

Summoning her last bit of strength, she raised her fist towards the twilight sky. "Finally! Now I can rest and see the dawn of a grateful universe without excess of Sabers- *cought*. Ouch… It's been a while since the last time I got this roughed up… probably after my last duel with Ex-chan…"

A flurry of memories of the old days assailed her tired mind. She couldn't help but wonder if this was what a sense of accomplishment was truly like. And if that was the case, what should she do from now on?

As they say, the show must go on. She wasn't allowing one of those generational handovers though. She was the undisputable protagonist, after all-

"…!" The sound of rubble being moved interrupted her long, inner monologue, and she forced herself up to see what was happening.

Her blue eyes widened in disbelief when she recognized the figure of the red knight. His state was as deplorable as hers, but a combination of swords sewing his injuries and strange flames healing them was quickly returning him back to normal.

"Hey! That's outright busted! What are you, a boss with more than one health bar!?"

"Hmph…" Shirou for once decided to humor her meta bullshit while he waited for Camael's flames to finish healing him. "More like a hidden boss you should never fight in the first place. It is still too early for even the humanity of this universe who attained the manifestation of the soul."

The sound of his steel-tipped boots filled the place once he was finally healed, and stopped after the red knight reached the mysterious heroine. His golden eyes looked at her, some emotion filtering through them for a fleeting moment before turning cold.

"Trace, on." Bakuya was called into his right hand, and he flipped it to wield it in a reverse grip, its blade aiming directly at X's spiritual core.

At that moment, X's face was filled with genuine horror. "Wait, waitwaitwaitwait! You can't be serious! You can't just kill the protagonist! Less so a gag character like me!"

"Well, too bad for you, I give two shits about your messed-up reasoning. I let you go once, and you came looking for a fight again rather than packing your things and getting your ass out of this planet! I have enough on my plate already with the entire galaxy wanting my head because a dude wants to quit his damn work!"

His hand tightened around the Yin sword before bringing it down swiftly. X closed her eyes, not being able to defend herself in time, but instead of feeling a sharp pain in her chest, a high-pitched voice almost ripped apart her eardrums.

"Stop, Shirou!"

The white blade stopped mere inches away from X's chest, Shirou's body freezing completely. His head turned around slowly to see a certain pink-haired alien running up to him.

"Lala…" His voice sounded surprised. He was worried for a second that the sight of him about to kill someone could traumatize her, but she seemed worried sick more than anything.

"Stop. Don't force yourself to do it." This time she spoke softly as she rested her hands over his to put away the sword.

Shirou didn't resist, but still, his mind screamed at him that she was utterly wrong. Forcing himself to kill someone? How could she draw that conclusion? He might not be showing his aspect as an Evil of Humanity, but he was still the embodiment of killing others.

"Lala, I-"

"Don't say it." But she immediately cut him. "I don't know how you were in your first life, and I'm honestly not interested… Well, a little, but my point is that I know the you right now doesn't want to do it. If that weren't the case, you wouldn't have stopped when I called you out."

That… was a more solid logic than he was expecting. In fact, that was a really good question. Since when did he care for appearances? Why was he worried about Lala finding out about his true nature? Mikan was one thing, but she was just an acquaintance…

"Hah… Shero, could you put aside your stubbornness aside just once? You are ruining the lovely atmosphere."

Those snarky words caused his eyebrow to twitch. The Goddess of money and her servants weren't people he wanted to see in this situation either.

"You just say that because she didn't attack you out of nowhere. Twice at that. And have you been doing meanwhile?" He answered in kind, but seeing that it was his way of letting go of the issue, brought a smile to Lala and Luvia's faces.

"Well, of course, we are a Ruler, an Archer, and a Moon Cancer. The chances of the delusional maniac who goes around saying she's the only Saber attacking us are abysmal."

"First 'Pretender', and now 'Moon Cancer'. What the heck is that? Can you guys stop ruining the good old seven-class system? And what kind of loser nickname is that!? The name 'X' is easy to remember, and it should be already in everyone's mouth!"

Everyone pretended to not hear the "Saber's" rant, and Luvia continued. "And we were helping Lala deal with the problem of the Primordial Goddess that went right under our noses."

"Primordial Goddess?"

"Hey!" To answer Shirou's question, Alice lifted X's still-healing body, revealing a certain blue-haired girl that had been buried right under her butt.

"Remember that I told you Sairenji-san here was more than it met the eye, Shirou-sama. Turns out that was the understatement of the millennium."

"And may I ask, how in the world did you and the troublemaker defeat her in a single blow?"

Tomoe's question was met with skepticism. Haruna there was all beaten up and unconscious but… wait, she did have traces of divinity on her. That actually explained why his authority as a Beast suddenly worked in overdrive.

"Well, X's Holy Sword is effective against threats to the planet, and I have a God Slayer skill."

While his answer left Lala and X indifferent, the other three servants blinked owlishly at the bomb he casually dropped.

"Really? That is one of the rarest skills in the universe, you know? Not many servants with true names have a feat like that at their name, less so non-divine servants."

"I am the natural enemy of the very concept of humans depending on deities to thrive. Do you understand now why I find your presence so annoying, woman?"

His harsh words were surprisingly met with a bold smile. "Well, too bad for you, the time of Gods ended ages ago. My true name might be Astraea, but I already told you, I'm more of a businesswoman."

Shirou could only click his tongue at his utter failure of ushering her away, ignoring the stingy eye Tomoe was giving him.

"Umm… I'm still not that familiar with this planet's customs, but… isn't it bad that we blew up the school?" And more surprisingly, it was Lala who actually talked some sense into the situation.

"Don't worry, Lady Lala. Astraea put up a powerful bounded field around the school before entering the fray. As far as it concerns the outside world, the school is all well and good." Only to be dismissed by Alice.

"That just delays things until Monday. What are we gonna do? The good old 'gas leak'?" Fortunately, she managed to make Shirou snap out of the nonsense. His suggestion was met with a raised eyebrow, though.

"You use that cover for this kind of thing on this planet?"

"Wait, we need to cover up things on this planet? I knew this place was primitive, but that's just too much."

This time, the mysterious heroine wasn't ignored, but the murderous look she received from the red knight shut her up.

"I'll make some arrangements, so you don't have to worry about that, Shero. The school will be back in shape by Monday. For now, why don't we all go to my home so we can treat X and Sairenji-san here and talk things calmly? And maybe have a nice dinner among friends."

Once again, Shirou pinged the bridge of his nose. That was the last place he wanted to go, but given the circumstances, he hands no choice. And Lala was already accepting with enthusiasm.


"Seriously!? You having dinner at a friend's home!?"

Mikan's perplexed voice came from the other end of the call, and for once, Shirou couldn't honestly what jab was she going to throw at him.

"I know it sounds incredible, but well… let's say something "out of the norm" happened and we have to discuss some matters."

There were some seconds on silence at the other end of the call, but the conclusion she arrived at was definitely something he wasn't expecting.

"That means you finally found people with common topics to talk about! Don't worry then, Shirou. I can whip up something fast. Do enjoy your first experience with friends! And I don't mind if you guys have a sleepover too!"

She hung up after quickly spewing those cheerful words, preventing him from trying to correct that obnoxiously wrong conclusion.

"Haah…" He sighed. How many times he did that today was beyond him, but it definitely surpassed the two digits.

His golden eyes looked at the landscape in front of him. He had to admit, the sight he was getting of the entire city from one of the balconies of the "Tenjoin Mansion" was quite something. But more impressive was Astraea's bounded field around the school, whose illusion affected his perception even from this distance.

Now he was just stalling. A natural mechanism of his mind to avoid the incoming dump of nonsensical information about this universe he was about to get from the Goddess of Money.

Resigning himself to that fate, he entered the mansion and headed for the bedroom everyone was in. Well, calling it a bedroom would be wrong by his standards, as it was as big as his entire house, but alas.

Everyone was sitting on a series of couches around the bed, where the unconscious Haruna lay. Luvia replaced her golden armor with a "casual" blue dress, and Tomoe did the same with her servant attire. Lala ordered Peke to shift again to the clothes she wore during their "date", and X repaired her servant attire, above the tons of bandages covering her body.

Expectedly, Alice was still wearing the maid outfit. He was starting to think that Luvia didn't trick her and that it was just her fetish.

Once he took a seat, he immediately started the conversation. "Well, I'm not ready, but let's get started. First, I presume you guys have an idea what is Sairenji's deal?"

"We don't know how she ended up like that. That's something we'll have to ask once she wakes up. But I can explain the nature of the entity possessing her." The Goddess made a pause to take a sip of her freshly brewed tea.

Which was most likely for the sake of appearance, because who in the world would have tea when dinner was around the corner?

"To make things quick though, I need to know how's your general knowledge about how the universe ended up in its current state."

Shirou threw a look at Lala, and after seeing that they were making the same expression, he gave their answer. "You might as well start from the beginning. I get the gist that, at some point, humanity got their souls manifested, thus becoming akin to servants, but Lala is on the ropes here."

"What Shirou said. Honestly, I'm still wrapping my head around all the magic stuff Shirou told me about. I'm a girl of science, you could say, and I don't believe Father, or anyone here in the Milky Way for that matter, is familiarized with this either."

It was her words that left the trio of servants thinking. They already knew Shirou's situation as a servant from a different universe. Lots of servants ended up getting "isekai'd" after dying, so the reverse isn't that farfetched from their perspective. But the way Lala, a local being from this part of the universe, seemed so clueless…

"A planet still being primitive is one thing… but to think the more advanced race of this section of the universe is that behind…"

"Would you really consider Lala's race the most advanced around? Haven't you guys seen an Ultimate One in your travels?"

Shirou thought that was a pretty standard question when they were talking about cosmic stuff, but he honestly didn't expect to receive raised eyebrows.

"You know, the strongest beings from other planets. Earth doesn't have one, but the other planets in the Solar System should have, and I'm pretty sure the spider thing in South America is one of those."

Once again, more confused looks. "I don't know what you are talking about, Shero, but I can assure you, there are no intelligent lifeforms in the other planets of this star system."

"Maybe that is a concept exclusive to your original universe, Shirou-sama. Perhaps, it is even the counterpart of the concept we are about to explain."

"Alice is right, but we shouldn't digress that much. I'll add visiting this "spider" to my list right next to this "Clock Tower" you told me, though." She ignored the blank stare Shirou threw at her. "At any rate. Let's say that the current state of affairs of the Blue Shining Galaxy was the consequence of an event called the 'Universe update' that took place ages ago. I don't know the specifics either, but as you said, all the sentient species became servants, with only seven exceptions, the seven masters, and the entire universe became filled with the fifth imaginary element, allowing the continuous manifestation of everyone's soul."

"So, I'm assuming these, primordial Goddesses are something prior to this "Universe update"." The auburn-haired teenager asked, the sound of his own words causing his eyebrow to twitch.

Astraea couldn't help but giggle at that. "Fufu. You are correct. There are barely any records of this subject, so all the information I have on the subject came from a professor who was the adoptive father of a mon- I mean, one of my classmates."

Lala and Shirou couldn't help but feel surprised seeing the mixture of emotions on Luvia's face. The moment she mentioned that "professor", she looked a little sorrowful, but her expression quickly turned into annoyance after mentioning that classmate.

"You mean… that professor is no longer with us?" Lala asked carefully, causing the Goddess to realize the expression she was making.

"Yeah. He was the last master in the universe and a good man. Unfortunately, the organization founding his investigation on a subject no one cared about turned out to be just another villain league and killed him the moment he caught wind of their plans. But that is a story for another time. From what we discerned from the ancient scriptures he managed to find, Primordial Goddesses are concepts not too far from this planet's religions. The primitive inhabitants of this universe revered the places that allowed life to thrive, and with time, that faith caused those galaxies to gain consciousness and start meddling with humans' live. They protected their subjects and waged war against those who revered other Goddesses. But as civilization advanced and humans conquered the stars and left their home planets, they started to fade away."

Golden eyes widened when he finally managed to draw a parallel. "I see. So that is your equivalent of the end of the Age of Gods. But a couple of things don't add up here. For starters, you mentioned a classmate in past tense… so you are an old woman pretending to be a high schooler?"

Luvia's face froze for a moment, Alice giggled, and Tomoe sighed, not being able to defend her friend.

"I'm not that old, Shero. Tokiomi died 9 years ago, and I fled from the planet with Tomoe to shake off the villains trying to tie up loose ends."

Her murderous aura was only met by a snarky smile, so it had to be Lala who pointed out the other incoherence in her explanation.

"So… if those Primordial Goddesses disappeared before the universe update, why is this part of the universe still like before that event?"

"That has a simple explanation. This part of the universe, the "Origin Universe", is actually the remnants of the most powerful Goddess. One that refused to fade away, despising what had become of the universe, and so, the laws here are still the same as before the universe update. If fact, she almost awoke again two thousand years ago, but an elite team of servants and a master put together by a secret division of the Galactic Police. If you want to know more about it, ask Alice. She was there to witness it."

The two looked at the maid with looks of disbelief. ""You are more than 2000 years old?""

"No, of course not!" The maid immediately dismissed their assumption with an amused grin. "I died during that fight, alongside most of the team. I actually don't know how they managed to pull it off. That Goddess was way beyond even the most powerful servants. It's just that, thanks to the nature of my true name, I kept most of my memories after manifesting again some years ago. So yeah, unlike Luvia-sama and Tomoe-sama, I am an honest high schooler."

She ended up her explanation with a coy wink that gained both a blank stare and an excited one.

"Wow, you guys really have a story that has nothing to envy about my father and his friends' tale when they unified the Milky Way."

"Nah, things like that tend to happen all the time in the Blue Shining Galaxy." X spoke for the first time in a while. "The history lesson was good and all but do you guys seriously don't know about the greatest heroine who defeated (almost) all Sabers and dismantled the Dark R.O.U.N.D.S?"

This time, it was her turn to receive raised eyebrows, and Tomoe did the question. "That was handled by the Galactic Police and its several subsidiary agencies. Did you really work for them?"

The blonde "Saber" didn't take their reluctance well, frowning a little. "I was a freelance who had to balance the work with my studies, okay. It was a personal matter since the organization sprung from my home planet Britain and most of the members were distant relatives of mine."

Shirou couldn't help but caress his forehead after hearing the absurd version of this universe's King Arthur legend.

"You're just changing the issue because you were just as clueless as Lala and I." Those precise words struck X like a jab straight to the guts.

"Ju-just because you are crazy strong and have the aura of a fellow protagonist, it doesn't mean I should be replaced just yet! I can't go out without an epic duel with my fated rival on a field of blooming lilies! I know! This must be a spin-off, and this is my cameo! And after winning I need something like… like an emotional montage about me traveling on a train through all the places I've been and remembering all my adventures."

"Oh, you mean like in those TV shows Mikan likes to watch before going to sleep!? What was it? Maou Shoujo?"

"Please Lala, don't help her continue with her delusional monologue-"

"You got the genre completely wrong! Action Sci-fi will always be the best! But as an initiate, I can overlook it. In fact, I can even- hya!? What's this!?"

X finally stopped talking when a recently projected, lion plushy landed in front of her. Now she seemed completely hypnotized, like a researcher who just stumbled upon a new species yet to be properly cataloged.

"Whatever." He ignored the chuckles and pointed at the figurative sleeping beauty with his eyes. "Going back to the topic, now that we are all on the same page, how in the world one of those primordial Goddesses ended up possessing Sairenji there."

"I have some theories, but I'm afraid that is something we'll have to ask the person in question."

"Actually, Luvia-sama…" Tomoe suddenly raised from beside the Goddess and walked up to Sairenji's side. Her red eyes focused on her laying for a long moment until she finally opened her mouth. "I don't know why you're pretending to be still asleep, but it is useless."

The room had a moment of tension, but it didn't last long. The blue-haired girl slowly opened her eyes and raised to a sitting position, her face reflecting a troubled expression for the first time since they met her.

"I didn't want to interrupt your talk… It seemed important, and all of it was new to me, too."

Just after she finished speaking, everyone had to make a double take at her. No scowl, no annoyed voice, and definitely no sassy remarks. She seemed an entirely different person.

"Wow. You no longer talk like the textbook definition of a yandere." Shirou remarked it bluntly, getting an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Re-really? Oh gosh… All these years… I-it all feels like a blur. It was still me, but I kept hearing her voice… It's so quiet now."

Now she sounded like a scared puppy. The thought of her being a threat to the current universe disappeared from everyone's mind, but in Shirou's case, he kept his frown for a little longer.

"So Shirou and I put that supervillain Goddess to sleep or something?" X asked, somewhat doubtful that it was so easy.

"I guess? Lady Kama should be whispering in my by now… a-and I don't feel like I can shoot fire from my arms anymore."

"I knew it!" Haruna let out a surprised yelp when the pink-haired alien suddenly hugged her. "Someone as sweet as you couldn't be acting so hostile all the time. I'm happy to have you back, Haruna-san. Or I guess this is the first time we are properly introduced."

"Technically? B-but, umm… Even if I was influenced, I still acted so cold and said all those mean things…" She tried to reject her out of embarrassment and awkwardness, but Lala pressed on without caring.

"Don't worry. It's actually a breath of fresh air to be treated like that and not as a high princess. And again, someone so sweet that didn't reject Shirou can't be like that."

"We-well, if you say so…" The blue-haired girl finally relaxed in her embrace.

Luvia left some minutes of courtesy before putting down her cracked teacup and opening her mouth.

"I know this is lacking in touch, but I need to ask. Sairenji-san, do you remember how is it that you ended up in that situation?"

The warm atmosphere around her was blown away in an instant, but she did no gesture to deny the Goddess.

"Take your time, Sairenji-sama. We want to help you if possible." And Alice chipped in with her innocent charisma.

"I… I really don't remember much of the details." Haruna started slowly. Her troubled expression immediately told them it wasn't good memories she was delving into. "I was kidnapped alongside my family when I was around 6 years old by a shady organization. The only thing I can remember clearly about their members is that they wore clothes that were a mixture of traditional Japanese and sci-fi suits and acted like the recurrent villains of a tokusatsu show."

With just the introduction, she was already hugging her kneels. "But the experiments they conducted with all the people they kidnapped were definitely cruel and painful. Something about turning us into a catalyst to summon an ancient Goddess. Lots of people died until they finally got what they wanted. Lady Kama whispered to me during one of the experiments... and the next moment... all around me was hell. I guess I… I… I killed everyone."

Her voice cracked and tears formed at the corners of her eyes while she looked at Shirou directly.

"The reason I thought you were also special, Yuuki-kun, was because you were a survivor of a tragedy ten years ago, right?"

Those golden eyes widened for a moment. "Yeah, but I was told it was an earthquake…"

If he was being honest, he didn't remember that hell as clearly as the one from his past life, and most of the time, the memories would overlap. But now that she mentioned it, memories of him walking through a destroyed city escape that looked modern rather than an ancient British village resurfaced.

"If they were using this city's main leyline to summon a being of such magnitude, it is no wonder the entire land was shaken." Luvia commented, which made a lot of sense.

An earthquake was produced by the sudden massive consumption of magical energy from the leyline, followed by Haruna unleashing that Goddess's flames uncontrollably. A perfect recipe to recreate that hell he was born from the first time.

For the first time in ages, he felt the bile from his stomach climbing up to his throat. The part of him that was truly a teenage boy struggled for a moment, but he immediately got a hold of himself.

"Can you remember where the fire took place?"

"It was near the current school… I think?"

A blank expression was shared amongst everyone. The same place that just blew up an hour ago.

"Well, even in the remote case I was actually another abducted kid, I can tell for sure that's not the entire reason I'm a heroic spirit merged with a human."

"Oh… So we really are all freaks?"

"Hey, talk about you! I'm a universally known heroine."

"And a freeloader who doesn't have a place to go." Those words from Shirou hit like a surgical knife, taking her down just as fast as she raised her head from the plushie.

But that wasn't the real intention of the jab. No, the real attack was the look that Luvia threw at her.

"Oh my. Is that true, Miss X? Did you perhaps run out of artorium and your currency doesn't match this planet's?"

The blonde "Saber" felt a chill run down her spine, but she ignored it. "You are spot on, Goddess whose pupils feel like they can turn into QP at any time. Do you perhaps know how can acquire some artorium for my spaceship?"

"Well, well, I do have contacts who can procure artorium even here in the forbidden zone, yes."

'Ah, there we go again', that was what Shirou, Tomoe, and Alice thought as X innocently took the bait. "But it will take some time. Bypassing the controls of the Galactic police isn't easy. However, we can't leave a heroine of your caliber living in the streets meanwhile."

"We-well, this is hardly the first time I've been surviving with just my sword to my name."

"That won't do at all. Even on this planet, that would be barbaric. But I do have a proposal, Miss X. You see, given that we are all already involved in this matter regarding the resurrection of Primordial Goddesses and other matters unfolding in this city, we could use your power as a bodyguard."

The Goddess and the dragon looked at each other silently for almost a minute, until the latter finally opened her mouth. "In other words… you are offering me a job?"

"Precisely. It will be full-time, but don't worry, events like the one that took place today aren't the norm. Or so I hope. Of course, you will live here with me and have all expenses paid aside from a salary in this country's currency."

"DEAL!" X immediately shook her hand enthusiastically after hearing the terms, without even waiting to see the contract or asking for conditions.

But Shirou refrained from saying a word. Seeing her wearing a maid outfit in a few days was going to be a sight to behold, and it will dissuade her from keeping challenging him.

"Well, who's hungry? I think it is already time to start making dinner." Alice immediately changed the topic, denying X any chance to take back her word.

"In that case, I'll help." And expectedly, Shirou offered a hand, which caused the maid to giggle.

"It will be an honor to finally witness your skills, Shirou-sama."

Once the talk finished, all serious business was left aside for a "dinner among friends". Small talks about how they were going to do during the upcoming end-of-term exams and school-related stuff while they enjoyed the godly meal that resulted from Shirou and Alice's teamwork.

Especially, X. The auburn-haired boy had to retract his assessment about Lala and Zastin's eating habits now that he had the real deal in front of him. Not that he paid it that much mind with all the things in his mind.

Even the bits about a devious organization having used this town as their base of operation in the past took the second set after spending time with Alice alone. That feeling that he had her true name at the tip of his tongue only grew with every second, and the furtive looks she threw at him indicated that her situation must be similar.

It was late at night when Shirou, Lala, and Haruna returned to their respective homes, and X made a quick trip to where she left her spaceship to pick up her things, leaving the trio of servants alone in Luvia's room.

"Luvia… Do you think…" Tomoe started slowly after making sure they were alone.

"Most likely, I'm afraid. Given the description Sairenji gave us and their motivations, this has "Space Shinkageryu" written all over it. They needed masters for their experiments, and this planet has plenty of candidates." The Goddess answered calmly, but her body language was tense.

"Do you think they managed to keep the data recollected through the experiments?"

"We need to find the place and investigate what's left of it, but we should take that for granted. Their goal might be absurd, but they are meticulous in their pursuit if anything. Especially in recent years. With the villain association making a fuss, those Saber badges they started to commercialize to increase their funds went completely under the radar."

"Yeah, we are on our own… Even Queens Academy fell in their grasp."

"I wouldn't say we are on our own." Tomoe threw her a questioning look, but the confident smile that was drawn on the Goddess's face was more than enough answer. "We might be able to get help from the dominant species of this side of the universe if we play our cards right, and Shero himself will be a great asset. Don't you think, Alice?"

The ball was thrown to the third servant, who had been quiet all the time. Her gaze was focused on the sight at the other side of the windows, in the direction their guests left to be precise. Just the smile she was sporting was already a unique sight on its own. Like a girl with a crush longing for her lover.

"Oh yes, Shirou-sama might very well be the key to solving this grudge harbored for eons. In fact, his arrival can't be a coincidence. But whether this leads to a good or an even worse ending, that we'll have to see."

Tomoe could only caress her forehead. Maybe she should stop trying to be the only serious head of the three and just go shut herself to play this planet's video games.

"See you at the school, Haruna!"

The pink haired bid her farewell with her characteristic enthusiastic tone, having already removed the suffix of her name, while the boy by her side just waved at her.

"See you too!" The blue-haired girl waved back at them with the same enthusiasm, but those warm emotions slowly died as those two figures were lost in the distance.

She was just some steps from entering the six-story building in which her department was, but her body refused to move. Now that there was no warmth around, her body became incredibly tense, and unable to look at the glass that made the sliding door.

"Fufufu…"

Because in that glass, she caught a glimpse of a mesmerizing figure that shared her face.

"You did well fooling them, my dear Haruna. Even after leaving you on your one for a moment, you immediately went down the path of depravity."

Haruna gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Her illusion of freedom after ten years was shattered so easily that she felt like crying.

"No… I didn't tell a lie. It's all your fault. It's your fault that Mom and Dad died in that fire! It's your fault that Onee-sama will not dare to speak to me! And it's your fault Shirou-kun rejected me!"

The mischievous smile on the Goddess of Love only grew. "Oh, no, no, no~ Try and deny it all you want, the fact is that I only gave you a taste of my authorities, and you yourself drowned in them gradually. I'd say they suit you more than I thought at the beginning."

"No! No more! No more…" The girl finally raised her head and looked at the reflection of the Goddess directly. "I won't be that horrible version of me again. It gives me the chills just remembering it. And I definitely won't let you take control again."

Rather than retorting with the same intensity, Kama just shrugged and showed her that trademark, honeyed smile.

"Try and pretend to be a good girl all you want, Haruna. As long as you are close to that man, you will inevitably come back to me."

The girl raised an eyebrow at that statement. "Why are you so confident I will need your charms? They already failed to even cause a reaction in him."

"Yeah, that surprises even me. But after receiving his attack and aura directly, now I know what kind of depravity will be effective on him. Fufufu~" The Goddess started chuckling in a way that was disturbingly similar to the girl a day ago after Shirou "saved" her.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"He's trying sooo hard to be a good boy, too. It's so ironic that someone who wants to help others ended up becoming the final obstacle for humanity to overcome before reaching the next cycle. Mmm~ making him realize the futility in that and embrace his true nature will be delightful. And the moment he hits rock bottom, I'll be there to drown him in love~"

The girl's entire body froze as she looked in horror at the reflection. Her twisted new goal was terrifying, but most of all, the feeling of being unable to stop her despite being part of the problem felt truly crushing.


That night, if Yuuki Shirou was being honest, he expected to dream with the memories Haruna's story trigged. But the hell he witnessed wasn't anything like that.

It was just another of the ones he caused by his own hand. Albeit this one, he was slaughtering the army of a dead apostle rather than humans. It was, after all, his last battle. One of the few ones in which people remembered him as a hero and not a nameless monster.

The red knight valiantly pierced through the armies of the dead with the golden sword he pulled from the stone like an exhalation. He was no charismatic leader or a knowledgeable politician, but at that time, he guessed that the King Britannia needed was one who could kill everyone to save everyone, and he filled that role to a T.

Of course, he wasted no time and changed the battle from a defensive struggle into a siege all on his own. Following the trails of moving corpses, he found the castle used by the bloodsuckers as a base and unceremoniously blew a hole through it.

He didn't even remember the name or the face of the superior dead apostle coordinating the entire operation. Once he drew his black sword alongside the model of swords that select the King, he too was easily massacred.

Once it was done, he remembered that he barely had no time to rest as another vampire appeared out of nowhere and started a speech he didn't care. But in that dream, something was different.

The figure that had always been blurry in his memories was not perfectly defined. A girl around fifteen years that gave off an aura of royalty, different from all the dead apostles he fought before. Clad in a regal, black and red dress, long, black hair, and piercing red eyes.

There was no hostility coming from her, and she even made a reverence before properly introducing herself.

"Greetings, O' great hero. My name is ********* *********. You will have to excuse my subordinates. They were just following my order to procure me a suitable bodyguard as best as they could. However, that might not be necessary anymore. You see, I have a proposal."

After that, the vampire tried to persuade him to serve her. Something about a war against other so-called "True Ancestors" that lost themselves to their thirst for blood and annoying little sister.

Of course, after an entire life journey of self-destruction to reach this place and kill that superior dead apostle, the red knight couldn't care less and pointed his cursed blade at her.

"I see. So that is how it is. A pity then. Get him, Fou."

After letting out those words, a roar filled the place, and the white abomination entered the room ramming through the wall like a rabid animal. The white wolf that stood above all the creatures on the planet.

After that, the dream became a blur like always. The red knight had to give his very being in that battle, and just like most dragon slayers during their fights with their respective dragons, his brain barely registered what happened.

The last thing he remembered was that, after slaying the Beast, he had so many holes in his body that he died seconds after.

And then, his Golden eyes opened to watch the ceiling of his new house like always. Although it was one of the few dreams that didn't leave him with a bitter taste, he remained thoughtful, with a name at the tip of his lips.

"Brunestud, huh?"


On a faraway planet…

"Well, I am sure you know about all the ruckus caused by the apparent new suitor of Deviluke's first princess."

A humanoid frog that barely reached the knees of the standard human, clad in a royal, almost parodical, outfit, started speaking while walking back and forth. He barely cared if the other person in the room was paying attention while he monologued.

"This Yuuki Shirou. A so-called 'servant'. Most people thought it a bad joke from the princess to keep away the other pretenders. It is no secret that she was always stiff as a board during the arranged meetings without exception. But it's been a few days already since a lot of the competence traveled to that isolated planet, and surprisingly, no one has heard further notice from them. It's as if that planet swallowed them."

The royal frog stopped and finally looked the other person straight in the eye.

"I think it is obvious how things went. Most likely, Princess Lala was actually telling the truth, and it was actually a cry for help rather than a deterrent. We have a monster from the other side of the universe who got a hold of the princess and is trying to take over Deviluke and the galaxy! In other words, it is imperative that I go to rescue her, and for that, I obviously hired the best bodyguard."

The other person, a girl with long, blonde hair and red eyes, clad in a black battle dress with a cross-shaped opening on the center of her chest, sighed with middle annoyance before speaking in a flat tone.

"I'm no rescuer or bodyguard, Lacospo. Just point me at the target and you can do whatever you want while I deal with him."

The frog immediately threw aside his pretentious attitude and reached for a device in his pocket. "Of course! Here's a picture and all the info we have about him. I'm sure even a so-called servant has no chance against a legendary assassin like you, Konjiki no Yami."

The girl made no comment at those empty compliments and took a look at the screen of the tablet-like device. The picture of a certain auburn-haired boy appeared, and if anything, it was the definition of "normal".

"Are you sure this boy is really a monster?"

"We know little about the servants on the other side of the universe, but for their legends to cross to this side, what else could he be? Appearances deceive, as they say. Won't you agree?"

The girl hummed in agreement, not taking her face from the device. She would be lying if she said that all this "servant" matter didn't catch her attention, but she didn't allow her emotions to get a hold of her.

Most likely, this was going to be just like all the other jobs.

"Yuuki Shirou, huh?"


And that's it for now! Yeah, here am I dropping another cliffhanger, but it could be worse. I could have dropped it right in the middle of the fight against Kama just to give the "comic" resolution in the next one. And yes, I know Yami doesn't appear this early, but my plan is to introduce all the relevant characters in this big prologue of shorts while mixing in the slice-of-life aspect of the story.

This chapter was certainly centered on the Fate and servantverse side of the story, so you can expect the next one to tip to the other side with Yami and Lala's suitors taking the spot. Just to clarify, the "post-credits scene" took place some days after the Kama fiasco, leaving more time for Shirou to "deal" with more candidates.

At any rate. Some people guessed that it was Kama the one possessing Haruna, but remember that this Kama is from the servantverse. So yeah, this Kama is a proper Goddess and not a dude possessing a girl. The plot about the Primordial Goddesses is going to take a while to become the main focus, so you can take it more as just Haruna/Kama's proper introduction that also interconnects with the characters originally from the city.

And another flashback of Alter's past, which connects to Alice's counterpart in regular Nasuverse. After that, I think her identity is more than obvious, but again, I'll withhold the proper reveal.

With all that said, I want to know your thoughts on this chapter, and I hope I entertained you. This is arguably the story I'm deviating from the original story the most, and well, this is more or less a change of scope. My other stories are generally a take on just introducing Shirou/King of Fakers as an external variable and seeing the butterfly effect, while this one is a proper change of setup, so it inevitably means it takes more time to plan the chapters.

On an unrelated note, I did mention that I got into another gacha hell that came out recently and that inevitably led me to experience what most people call "Depression Impact". Honestly, it has been a while since a story produced the same emotions in me as Type-Moon works, but the story of that game got me crying in the same way I started to cry while reading Losbelt 6 proper translation and hearing Habetrot's theme for instance.

For the people who still insist on me writing more stories, if I ever start a new one, it would be a crossover with that game. I mean, the theme of people fighting against fate always gets to me. But for the moment, let's just leave it in the reference I left in this chapter.

With this, I say goodbye for now. Hasta la vista!