After a whole day of going places and getting caught in trouble, Ritsuka was dead tired. Guess some things never change even when he switches bodies.

"Oh, welcome back, Kaedahara!" One of "his" fellow sailors saluted him as he came back to the ship. "The captain's up at the bow if you're looking for her." He wasn't but that was useful in any case; Ritsuka thanked the sailor before boarding the Crux's flagship.

'Should I see her first or…?' Ritsuka weighed his options. He should try keeping minimal contact with people who could figure out he was not actually Kazuha, at least until he gets a solid idea of what's going on. On the other hand, talking to the captain might help shed light on his predicament or point him in the right direction as not-Artoria did.

Several seconds of deliberation later, he decided to go with the latter option. He should also let her know he was back on the ship anyway.

"Yo, Kazuha!" The tipsy captain waved to him as he approached her. Ritsuka noticed her flask but paid it no mind. A pirate(like) captain drinking is nothing out of the ordinary. "Had a nice day out?"

"It was… eventful," he chuckled under his breath.

"Oh, do tell. I'm in the mood for one of your tales."

'Crap.' One wrong word and he'd be exposed. He had no idea how the captain would react to someone taking control of one of her men's body but it was better to be safe than sorry. "It's a bit of a long one. You probably won't find it interesting," he tried to convince her but he failed the skill check.

"Nonsense. Go ahead, I'm listening."

Ritsuka mentally screamed but kept a smile on his face to hide his emotions. He knew he had to word his story very carefully. "Well… It started like this—" Ritsuka relayed how he was wandering the town when the Adventurers' Guild requested his help. He left out how he got lost a bit and only said together with "a frosty beauty", they rid a camp of bandits that was terrorising some miners. He finished his story by getting beaten by "the card master with crimson eyes" in a noble duel.

Upon Ritsuka finishing his story, the captain of the Crux hummed and nodded, seemingly pleased with his tale. "Quite a long day you had, didn't ya? Clearing that camp must have been a breeze for you—heh—" she stifled her laugh from the joke that flew over Ritsuka's head. "—but you better get some rest. Go ahead to your quarters; captain's order."

"Thank you, captain," he bowed out of respect before saying good night. Before he walked away, though, the captain also told him they were going to sail out first thing in the morning. Apparently, someone named Ningguang had requested her to deliver a package to some sort of group on the other side of the ocean. Wherever they were heading, it was important enough that they were making an unscheduled departure so soon after docking in port.

As he walked away, Ritsuka sighed in relief; it looked like his cover had not been blown yet and he was grateful to whatever gods were watching over him… only to remember they were probably enjoying his suffering at the same time. Still, at least he can stop stumbling around in the dark and get some rest.

He went below deck and made his way to "his" room. As soon as the door behind him closed, Ritsuka basically collapse and groaned on the ground. Whatever life Kazuha was leading, it wasn't like what he was used to. Helping other people and knowing some rather particular individuals was definitely something he was more than familiar with but Kazuha was more hands-on in his approach. While Ritsuka was someone who stood by the sidelines in a supportive role, Kazuha was an actual fighter that had the respect of someone capable of controlling ice… he thinks.

"Sorry for embarrassing you like that…" he mumbled. Kazuha may not be able to hear him but Ritsuka was still cringing at how he was chased around by bandits and monsters. If not-Artoria had not been around, he would probably be dead.

'Alright, so what did I learn today?' A couple of things: First, this world was most likely not Earth; was it a very odd Singularity like Shimousa? Maybe, he'll have to do more investigation. Second, Ritsuka was not in his own body and instead in the body of someone named Kaedahara Kazuha (obviously). He was also still unsure if there was an actual Kazuha and he was not just dropped in this world to play some sort of role. That also warranted an investigation. But if it wasn't the case, then was Kazuha simply unconscious deep inside his (their?) mind or… Oh… Uh oh.

…Meh, he'll think about it in the morning. "His" body needed some rest after a whole day of running around.


After a whole day of running around Chaldea and helping some of the Servants with minor issues—minor compared to what the Dioscuri requested, anyway—Kazuha was finally ready to take a minute for himself and rest. It was a rather foreign concept to him if he was being honest with himself. While he naturally helped around where he could both on the Alcor and in the various cities they docked, it was usually of his own volition to do so. He never really went out of his way to help people, it was usually whenever or wherever he had the time to do so. He much preferred taking a stroll and enjoying the sights most of the time.

Still, lending a hand was a satisfying feeling and put a smile on Kazuha's face. While he still loathed being stuck indoors the entire day, the time in the simulator notwithstanding, he didn't feel he wasted his time at all.

Speaking of the simulator, that small sidequest of his didn't turn out so well. He didn't get the duel he thought he would; instead, he spent the entire time running after a screaming Jason who didn't recognise him at all. While still a workout, he didn't achieve what he meant to do. Not too long into their laps on the hills, the Dioscuri and their other spectators intervened and decided to just let Jason go. The latter demanded an apology for scaring him half to death but only Kazuha gave him one.

"Pah, at least I can count on you to be nice, Master! Come on, Hercules, let's get out of here," he pouted before stomping off with the giant hunk of pure muscle following.

The Dioscuri then apologised to him—and by that, he meant only the sister—for their fruitless endeavours. "We appreciate you going the extra mile for us," she complimented him on the attire given by the blacksmith. Why he had an outfit lying around was beyond Kazuha but it was more comfy than the rather restricting uniforms he had prior to the point he continued to wear it for the rest of the day.

Cu, meanwhile, was a bit dejected that he didn't get to see Jason being beaten up by their Master. "Too bad, I wanted to see how you do in a fight." A part of Kazuha was dejected too but he didn't mind that much. After all, he wasn't the type to fight for fighting's sake.

After that small fiasco, Kazuha went on to help a couple of other Servants he promised and fortunately, their requests were much more mundane in comparison. While most were simple tasks, the one that stood out to Kazuha was in regards to the archer in green he initially mistook for a nekomata like Kirara. She had a feline tail and ears but it seemed unlikely that she was actually one; besides, there were other species like the ones in Mondstat with similar traits. In any case, her request was a simple one—help her babysit some of the younger Servants for a couple of hours. It was fairly uneventful but nonetheless tiring as he was roped into playing with the kids too.

Once that particular task was over, the green archer expressed her gratitude. "Thank you for helping me today, Master." It was then that it clicked in Kazuha's head why she sounded familiar; she sounded like the daughter of the Kamisato Clan. Yet another person who sounded like someone Kazuha knew.

However, by that point, Kazuha was too tired to put too much thought into it. After saying goodbye, he returned to his quarters and basically collapsed as soon as the door closed behind him. Whatever was going on, he disliked it. He didn't like the whitish-blue halls with no windows; he didn't like the chaotic environment this place had; most of all, he didn't like how everyone called him Master and saw him as someone who was above them in position.

Kazuha was someone who liked being free to do what he wants to do. Don't mistake him for being a selfish individual who didn't want to help people; he was simply someone who likes to take things at his own pace and enjoy quiet peace. This place—Chaldea—did not give him that. If he had to do all this again tomorrow…

'I'm not thinking straight… This is probably just a strange dream…' He sighed to himself as he got back to his feet and Was about to prepare himself for bed. However, as he took several steps forward, he felt a presence behind him. Out of instinct, he unsheathed his new sword and spun around. Stopping himself before he could actually harm the person, Kazuha found himself staring into pure hatred in the form of bloodred eyes.

"Who…" The person started, his emotions clear in his voice, "…are you?" The person was clearly a Servant—one who knew that his Master was not actually his Master. To show he had no ill intent, Kazuha sheathed his katana again and stepped back without a hint of fear.

The Servant caught his message and asked in a slightly less anger-filled voice, "Who are you and what have you done to Fujimaru Ritsuka?"

However, Kazuha's response was a short but confused "…who?"


A/N: And done with the next chapter. Finally, the first person to figure out things are not what they seem. I was heavily tempted to go with a certain lie-detecting Servant but decide to reserve that for the time being. Anyway, while Ritsuka and Kazuha are exhausted by their day as each other, the former has it a lot more easier compared to the latter. Chaldea, as so many of you agree with, is not really Kazuha's sort of place. He's a nice guy, but definitely one who values his own freedom. So while he wouldn't mind helping out, being constrained to a single place where he couldn't really enjoy himself is something he won't like.