Humanity's Last (Master) Counsellor

by Morii Hikikko

Chaldea safeguards the world from all kinds of threats however, with the surge in the number of Servants, it became clear that the biggest danger at the moment are the relationships between these Heroic Spirits. In order to avert this crisis, Humanity's Last Master is assigned a new mission. New cover by my good friend criselda.

6. Chapter 6

A special chapter to commemorate for 100 follows and faves, just marked as chapter six for convenience.

Spoiler Alert: This chapter occurs somewhere between the completion of Lostbelt 6 and before Lostbelt 7.

You have been warned.

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Chapter 6 – In Which Hachiman Hikigaya Is Dragged Back To High School I

*ring* *ring* *ring* *ring* *ring*

The echoes of the afternoon school bell could be heard resounding throughout the entire campus grounds. It was what every student in school was eagerly waiting for. The sound that declared that they were finally free from school for the day and they could now do as they please… But for a certain black-haired contrarian, it liberated him not only from the shackles that bound him to school but from something else entirely.

"Okay, what the heck is going on?"

Hachiman Hikigaya threw that inquiry to no one in particular.

Before he knew it, he found himself waking up inside an empty classroom.

Now it was not like this was the first time that this kind of thing happened to him. Sleeping through the rest of his classes that he wasn't good at was a bad habit he had during his high school years and with no friends to wake him up after classes were over, he would unintentionally end up in this kind of situation more often than not.

The issue lies in the fact that he was in a classroom in the first place. If he was anyone else then he might be able to shrug it off as a dream or hallucination but because he was Humanity's Last Master, things were never that simple. Any time he stares at the red symbols etched on his right hand; he will never fail to remember this grand responsibility of his.

Despite being in this completely unexpected situation however, he was surprisingly calm. He wasn't called a Monster of Logic for no reason. Experience definitely played a huge part too as this was not the first time he found himself suddenly cast into a random place without any Servant by his side or Chaldea's external support. In fact, this was one of the safer ones in recent memory… Until proven otherwise of course.

If he had to point out something that was odd this time around then it was how this world seems to be derived from Hachiman's own experiences instead of the actual creator.

The classroom interior, the seat he was currently occupying and even the feel of the fabric on his skin all felt nostalgic to him. It was like these things were being projected from his past memories themselves. The apprehension he felt this time around was even greater than when he faced off against Gods and even the Evils of Humanity as unlike all those challenges, this time was much more… Personal.

"Let's get our bearings first then," he languidly got out of his chair and grabbed the bag hanging on his desk. He wasn't sure what was inside it or was it even his anyways but something felt off with leaving it behind like that so he brought it with him. Upon exiting the classroom, there was one little detail that he wanted to check first. He looked up and what he saw next made him smile wryly. It was none other than the sign indicating the class number assigned to this room. "Class 2-F, huh. Whoever is behind this is really trying to get into my nerves," he grumbled in frustration before dragging his feet towards his next destination.

The men's toilet.

It was not like he had to take care of his business, no, what he was looking for was a mirror.

Before he gathered information about his surroundings, it was imperative that he check something else first.

That was none other than his very own appearance.

Was his entire body transported here or did he somehow possess the body of a person living in this world? Just because it didn't happen before, that doesn't guarantee that such a bizarre development will never occur.

The image reflected on the mirror held all the answers he needed.

Sure enough, the face that he was born with along with his lifeless eyes was staring back at him. What he was slightly more uncomfortable with however was not his looks as there was simply nothing he could do about genetics, but rather his attire.

A black undershirt, a white dress shirt, a black blazer that was white around the edges and a pair of slacks. This was without a doubt, Sobu High School's uniform. It was missing the tie but Hachiman had the habit of not wearing them in the first place so this was pretty much the full package.

"Okay, now this can't be a coincidence," Hachiman commented while frowning.

The odd thing here was that how well the uniform fit him despite the radical difference of his current physique from his high school days. As a by-product of subjecting himself to egregious amounts of physical training in order to potentially increase his chances of survival by even 1%, he became ripped but slender enough that it didn't show through his clothes, the perfect ratio, so to speak. It was to the point that he could easily pass himself off as a model or a young athlete though vanity was never one of his goals.

Now that he got that out of the way, Hachiman decided to take the next step.

Gathering information.

Sobu High School is an educational institution with slightly above average standards in Chiba and has a reputation of making most if not all of their students make it to their first choice in university, nothing more, nothing less, in his original world, that is.

There must be a reason why Humanity's Last Master, no, Hachiman Hikigaya ended up in this place. And if that is the case, he knew just where to look first.

After all, only one place comes to mind when you put the words Sobu High and Hachiman Hikigaya in one sentence.

"If I don't find anything there then I don't know where I'll look next," Hachiman jokingly said while resigning himself to his fate.

Just like a bird who went back to its true nest after migrating for winter, his feet carried him to the singular place in this school where, before he ended up carrying the burden of Humanity, held the most treasured memories in his life.

The Service Club clubroom.

Given that it was already a little late, Hachiman expected the door to be locked but when he gave it a little tug… It slid wide open, revealing the interior.

There were extra desks and tables stored in the back, the long table at the middle which can comfortably accommodate three people on each side, the empty whiteboard which was barely ever used was out front and even the simple yet elegant tea set where he regularly drank expensive tea was there.

It was exactly as he remembered from the time where he used to come here everyday… Except for one little thing…

"Please knock first before you enter," came the curt warning of the girl who was sitting on a chair close to the opened window.

She had black hair like the night sky, deep blue eyes akin to jewels, fair skin, a slender figure that could even put models to shame… Virtually perfect, verily so that calling her a Queen or even a Goddess would be fitting.

In Hachiman Hikigaya's past, there was only one girl who could be described in such a way…

At this timing, a gentle breeze came from the window, making the girl's long black hair flutter while the rays of the setting sun made her lapis lazuli-like irises shimmer like they were actual gems.

It reminded him of his first meeting with a certain Ice Queen so much so that he almost ended up calling her name out loud…

But that was only him deluding himself as a result of the nostalgic atmosphere he was immersed with and the Sobu High School uniform the girl was wearing.

In truth, the girl glaring at him and pressuring him to give her an answer resembled a more recent troublesome companion of his more than that dear acquaintance from his past.

The fact that he mistook her red eyes to be blue must have been his eyes playing tricks on him as well.

"Yo," he opened up with the languid greeting he habitually used back when he was still in high school. "I see that you've settled yourself quite nicely in this world, Ishtar-san. Have you seen other members from Chaldea as well?"

Hachiman Hikigaya didn't even need to hear her reply before he figured that he made a huge blunder. The girl's face, which was the kind one would make when interacting with a crazy person, said it all.

"Excuse me?"

So begins the first hurdle that Humanity's Last Master has to overcome in this world.

…

Rin Tohsaka.

Despite mirroring so many physical features of another black-haired girl in Hachiman's memory, the meaning of her full name was not exactly the snow beneath the snow. He wasn't sure if it was coincidence or just a cruel joke from fate.

She is a direct inheritor of the Tohsaka family, a long line of Magi who specializes in Conversion, the ability to store Magical Energy in jewels and to draw it out whenever needed.

Upon hearing terms that only people involved with Magecraft come out of Hachiman's mouth, Rin couldn't just easily let him go so the cynic decided to tell her a truncated version of what he's went through so far.

"So you're telling me an inexperienced Master no, a rookie Mage even, was able to save the world by winning against the Evils of Humanity and now you're on the cusp of facing off against Beast VII," her eyes narrowed, very similar but ever so slightly different from the glare that Hachiman was so used to getting back in the day. "Are you crazy? Who do you think is stupid enough to even believe this kind of farce?"

As can be heard from Rin's response, she wasn't buying any of it. Reality can sometimes be stranger than fiction after all, even more so when it comes to something grand like saving the world.

"Well, if you put it that way, it does sound pretty absurd," the accused lunatic nonchalantly shrugged.

The fact that he wasn't getting down on his knees and apologizing amused Rin Tohsaka enough that it made her want to listen to him for just a little bit longer.

"And what did you just call me earlier?" her blue eyes narrowed in suspicions.

"Ah, it was the name you had or rather the Heroic Spirit who shared the same face as you," Hachiman looked to the side while scratching his cheek with his finger. "The Goddess of Love and Fertility of Mesopotamian Mythology, Ishtar."

Rin Tohsaka waited for a short while for the youth in front of her to say just kidding~ but when the expected remark didn't, all she could do was look at him judgingly.

That was the last straw.

"You are out of your mind," she looked at Hachiman as if he was less than a bug. Fortunately and unfortunately, he has been exposed to glares several degrees colder than this from some Servants of Chaldea. Had such a gaze been cast on him a few years back, it would surely be enough to break him. "If this is your way of trying to pick up girls then you're being very obvious."

"Now wait a minute, please hear me out for a little longer, Tohsaka-san."

The ravenette did not even bother trying to hide her disgust from her expression. "I've heard enough, don't you think?"

Hachiman Hikigaya wasn't sure if he could trust the girl in front of him quite yet however there must be a reason why a girl who shared the same face as one of his Servants would be found on the first place where he would search for clues in this world.

Until he figured out why, he needed to keep her close…. Through any means necessary.

"Okay, let's first set aside the part about me saving the world at one point and focus on something that might be of more interest to you," Hachiman looked at his counterpart's brilliant blue eyes. The Tohsaka name was something he had heard of before. When it comes to Magus families who are still thriving in the 21st century, they are usually related to a Lord of the Clock Tower who should be working in overtime at Chaldea even at this very second. If that's the case, there was one topic that Magi at that time couldn't easily ignore. "The Holy Grail War," Rin visibly flinched upon hearing Hachiman utter those three words. "Oh, judging from your reaction, you seem to be familiar with it."

Hachiman could clearly hear Rin click her tongue in frustration. Thankfully, his gamble paid off.

"How do I know that what you're saying is true?" her eyes narrowed in suspicion in an attempt to apply pressure but Hachiman simply shrugged it off like it was a light breeze in a summer day.

"How indeed," instead of saying anything else, Hachiman decided to reveal the brand that was inscribed on the back of his right hand. "Will this suffice?"

The Command Spells. These are symbols of power granted unto the Magi that have been chosen as the participants for the ritual known as the Holy Grail War.

Next to an actual Servant, it was the best proof that one can show to prove their claim as a Master.

"Wh-Wh-Why do you have those?" Rin asked in shock. "I didn't receive any word from the upper echelons that something like that was already happening!"

That's because I made it all up.

He mentally retorted while keeping his poker face in check.

"Perhaps they made a little mistake but that's not the most important part here," he then forcefully changed the topic. "This should be more than enough to prove that I'm not saying complete nonsense."

"If that's the case," Rin's bitterness could easily be felt from her voice. "Where is your Servant?" her eyes darted around the room after saying so.

"I wonder," the contrarian began speaking in a more ambiguous tone. "Well, let's just say that my Servant's identity is way too obvious just from their appearance so I thought that there was more for me to lose if I let them manifest now."

This was not necessarily a lie as well. The True Name of Hachiman's current Servant was nothing after all.

"I guess that's true," Rin brought a hand to her chin and began considering several possibilities on her head. "While I'm not sure how strong you really are, just having one less enemy for the Holy Grail War should at least mean something."

"The distrust is not ideal but at least this talk of ours is finally heading somewhere," Hachiman brought his hands together and leaned his body a little closer. "Tohsaka-san, I need your help. Of course, I'm not expecting you to do it for free."

"An alliance, I presume?" her gaze towards Hachiman remained skeptical. "We take out the other participants first then have a fight between us two to determine the final winner. Did I get that right?"

"No, I have something even better to offer to you," in Rin Tohsaka's eyes, the young man in front of her suddenly looked like a scammer that you would encounter in the middle of the city. "For example, something like a glimpse of the truth of this world."

It wasn't technically a lie.

According to Chaldea's records, the victor of the Holy Grail War is allowed to make one wish to the Grail so theoretically, if one asked for it, the truth of the world can be shown to them...

The Root.

The Akashic Records.

Simply put, it was the ultimate pursuit of all Magi.

Upstart Mages like Hachiman Hikigaya may not see much importance to it but for those who underwent the traditional upbringing, it was a honey trap they can't resist.

…That is in the assumption that a Holy Grail War will occur in this world. Given that Humanity's Last Master was somehow dragged here, the more likely truth is that this was just another obstacle set by the Alien God but since Hachiman wasn't 100% certain of the circumstances of this place just yet, he had to keep that to himself for now.

"That's cheating," Rin complained while pointing an accusing finger to her male counterpart. "There's no way for me to guarantee that what you're going to tell me isn't a lie."

According to a certain Queen adept with business, there are two fundamental ways to get a client to buy your product. The first method is to establish the premise that the buyer absolutely needs it. Hachiman has already applied this concept by mentioning the Holy Grail War. The second method is…

"Similarly, you also won't be able to tell if it's the truth unless you accompany me at least once," Hachiman quipped back. "So, what are you going to do? With how you aren't informed yet by the higher-ups, this might be your only chance to participate in this Holy Grail War, you know?"

…To set up a limited time offer, thereby giving the client another reason for them to consider your offer.

"Guh...!" the sound of Rin gritting her teeth in frustration rang so clearly in Hachiman's ears as it was just the two of them present in this small room. From the perspective of an outsider, their current exchange looked like an adult was dangling a piece of candy to a baby at a height where their fingertips can barely reach it. This roughness of hers reminded Hachiman Hikigaya of the fact that she really was different from that other black-haired girl he knew though he would be the first to admit that such honest reactions have their own charm. "Fine. I'll play along with you," the ravenette let out a huff of dissatisfaction, basically admitting her defeat.

Thankfully, the bargaining lessons he took on a whim with that Grand Caster's wife came in handy today otherwise, he would have been forced to resort to more forceful means.

"That is very much appreciated, Tohsaka-san," Hachiman bowed in appreciation. Though he tried to appear sincere, it all looked like an act of mockery in Rin's eyes. "Thankfully, things didn't escalate to the point where I have to call upon my Servant," he smiled like a devil in the end, generating another look of disgust from Rin's side.

Assuming everything that this man with lifeless eyes said about him being a Master was true, he had checkmate against Rin all this time. Even if his Servant may not be by his side at this moment, he could just burn one of his Command Spells here to call them over instantaneously.

Then again, using up one of his trump cards like that when the battle has not even begun did not sound like a smart choice for the heiress of the Tohsakas…

Still, that didn't mean she was not frustrated and the only way she could let it out the moment was to hurl her complaints towards the young man in front of her.

"You're the worst!" she exclaimed with blushing cheeks while glaring at him. The panic in her voice however only made her scream sound cute instead of frightening, prompting Hachiman to tease her a little bit.

"Sorry but insulting me like that is like a reward to me," the cynic picked up his bag while maintaining his smug expression. "I'll be expecting you at around 6 PM near the station. If you stand me up, I will tell my Servant to come find you."

Hachiman immediately headed for the door after casually dropping that threat.

With that, the first conversation that Humanity's Last Master had with another person of this world ended and even though it was the clichéd boy-meets-girl kind of development you would often see in romantic comedies…

It still went wrong as expected.

…

Sobu and to a larger extent Chiba, was still the same place that Hachiman remembered at least by rough visual inspection, given how he was and is still an introvert, there was no way for him to tell for sure.

If he had Chaldea backing him right now, the standard protocol would be to mobilize the Heroic Spirits accompanying him in accordance with their specialties.

Archers, Assassins and Riders will primarily do reconnaissance and information gathering. The Sabers and Lancers are the direct fighting force. Casters, along with the Servants with unique classes are support. Finally, when the solution to the problem was some good ol' smashing, that's when Hachiman pulls the trigger and lets the Berserkers run wild.

Of course, there are some exceptions in every case.

It's impossible for someone as conspicuous as Gilgamesh to do recon so Hachiman just lets him do as he pleases.

Despite being Assassins, Semiramis and Osakabehime are more like Casters so they are assigned with the role of a support.

The Rider Servants are pretty much dependent on what terrain their mounts excel at traversing. There are some Heroic Spirits like Saint Martha however who excels much more at devastating foes so she and Tarrasque are exempt from scouting. Queen Medb on the other hand is forbidden from recon as she was more likely to cause problems rather than do her job.

As for the Sabers and Lancers, it usually depends if they are up against an army or just one individual. If it was the former, then Servants with Noble Phantasms like Altera and Karna are preferred. If it was the latter, the likes of Miyamoto Musashi or Brynhildr take center stage.

Finally, Kiyohime is one of the few Berserkers who is not good at smashing stuff… She just burns them instead. As such, if the enemies are uh… Flammable and collateral damage is not an issue, she was a solid trump card.

That being said, since he wasn't accompanied by any Servant at the moment, Hachiman Hikigaya's options were severely limited.

If there was one thing he could still be thankful for then it's the fact that the equipment from Chaldea that he always kept in his person was transported here with him and that they were all running smoothly.

He was currently using one such gizmo.

For outside operations, the state-of-the-art portable terminal issued by Chaldea has an even more compact form. Instead of a tablet, it was now as big as your everyday smartphone but it still possessed all the necessary functions present in the tablet version. Needless to say, it also has the function to surf the internet so at the moment, Hachiman was using that to gather as much information as he could.

News articles, trending posts, baseless rumors, urban legends, etc. He was not picky with his sources as from experience what he was searching for was not something you would expect to read from a verified expert but rather from people who would do anything just to be famous for even a few seconds in the internet.

As he continued with his task…

"You're here early."

…A sarcastic remark was shot towards him by a black-haired girl who was standing with her arms crossed around her chest.

"It would be shameful of me to be late to an appointment I myself set up," he interjected sardonically before putting his phone back to his pocket.

As he stood up, he couldn't help but run his eyes through Rin's outfit. She wore a dark red long-sleeved blouse that covered even her collar, tight denim blue shorts, black socks with a length that was enough to leave her knees uncovered and a pair of running shoes. While a part of him felt like it was a pity that she wasn't wearing a frilly skirt or the like, he was already more than thankful to her for showing up in the first place. He was a man who knew how to count his blessings.

"Aren't you staring at me a bit too much?" Rin commented with narrowed eyes while tightening her arms that was already on her chest. "It's a bit creepy so can you please stop?"

For some reason, being very quick at insulting him seems to be a similarity that black-haired beauties have in common. While he somewhat understood why some people would like to be treated in that manner, now was not the time to talk about such preferences.

Hachiman briefly cleared his throat before he explained himself. "You misunderstand. I'm just mesmerized by your foresight to pick clothes that are easy to move in. Good choice, by the way," he raised his thumb in approval.

"Somehow that sounds even creepier," she shivered while reeling back a little in disgust, prompting Hachiman to shrug. "But l-l-let me say this first before I forget!"

The sudden demand stunned Hachiman.

"Yes?"

"You…" Rin's face became a little redder as she spoke. "You don't look too bad yourself."

It took a few seconds before Hachiman understood that he was in fact, being complimented. Admittedly, getting praised in this manner by someone who is not bound to him was not something he was used to.

"Thanks, I guess," he went for a standard reply just to be safe. "Well, even if this is technically an investigation, I couldn't just let myself look like an embarrassment after all."

Practicality was also the primary concern of Hachiman's attire but because he could easily imagine several Servants back in Chaldea, both male and female alike, that would make a fuss if he slacked off in his preparations, he couldn't compromise too much in the aesthetics department as well.

He was wearing a white collared shirt underneath a red sweater, paired off with a striped blue tie. On top of all of that, he also put on a black coat with sleeves that only reached his forearms and a pair of black gloves. As for his lower garments, it was nothing more than a simple pair of navy-blue pants and dark brown shoes that can be used in both a formal setting and for outdoor activity.

"Embarrassed about what?"

So it would seem that the beautiful girl he was talking to was not quite aware of her own charms. Hachiman couldn't stop himself from getting a little displeased.

"Don't worry about it."

The dismissive reply bothered Rin a little bit, enough that she began nitpicking at her male counterpart.

"Aren't you feeling too warm with so many layers on?"

"It's fine," he waved his hand around to indicate that it was no big deal. "This is just an insurance policy. It's much more troublesome if it gets too cold later and I don't have a jacket to warm me up. At least in this manner, I can just remove the extra layer/s if it's too hot."

Although she was the one who asked such a random question, Rin wasn't quite expecting such a well-constructed reply.

"Do you always think about these kinds of things?" she couldn't stop herself from asking a question of a similar nature.

"Yeah. It's more like a habit in all honesty," Hachiman answered almost reflexively before being reminded in the next second why they met up in the first place. "Let's save the small talk for later. We've still got a lot of work in our hands for tonight."

Despite saying such words however, the first destination of the two was a place that you would never imagine to associate with the word work.

After riding the train for several minutes, the unlikely pair was standing in front of the big gates of one of Chiba's most famous tourist attraction.

Bright and flickering lights that were more than enough to blind someone or send them into a seizure, loud sounds coming from various equipment, an atmosphere of fun and excitement, families and couples as far as the eye can see…

In other words, it was a domain oozing with so much riajuu energy that Hachiman would like nothing more than to tear the entire place down if he had the chance. Then again, since he did have at least one good memory of this place, he probably wouldn't go that far.

It was none other than Tokyo Disneyland.

"Wait, this is just a date, isn't it?" she looked at the young man beside her with the same expression someone would wear if they were cheated out of their money. "No matter how you look at it, this is just a date."

"It's an investigation, I tell you. An investigation," Hachiman replied nonchalantly.

"No matter how you twist it, a theme park is not a place you associate with Magic and the like," Rin placed her hands on her hips as she glared at the Holy Grail War participant.

"Under normal circumstances perhaps," the cynic nodded in agreement but still proceeded towards the entrance of the amusement park anyways. "Don't worry about it too much for now. I'll explain everything to you later."

Rin Tohsaka looked at Hachiman judgingly, hoping for him to flinch or something but after seeing how ineffective it was, she just sighed.

"You're paying for everything you hear?" Rin blurted out an absurd demand like a needy girlfriend but Hachiman simply maintained his composure even after hearing it.

"Naturally."

It was a good thing that he was able to confirm beforehand that the rate of exchange of Quantum Piece into yen in this world was 1:1. Given the amount of time that Humanity's Last Master has been gathering that stuff, well, it wouldn't be too far off to call him the richest man in this world.

…

"WOOOHOOOO!"

"YEEEEAAAHH!"

"KYAAAAAAA!"

"HEEELLLPPP!"

"NOOOOOO!"

In a particular area of this fantasy-themed amusement park, screams of excitement and horror that you normally shouldn't hear in this kind of place rang out.

The conductor of this symphony of chaos was none other than the prided rollercoaster of Tokyo Disneyland. An attraction that lets the clients be immersed in a wonderful fantasy world accompanied with adrenaline and a ton of g forces.

Although extremely reluctant at first, Rin eventually ended up joining Hachiman on trying out almost every ride that the theme park had to offer for them.

While she was confident that her body could withstand the entire rollercoaster ride, going into one ride after another was definitely pushing her limits.

"How are you… Unaffected… Even after all that?" asked a panting Rin towards Hachiman who preemptively gave her a bottle of water.

"Hmm, maybe it's because my body has been exposed to something more extreme before."

"For example?" after nodding her thanks and drinking a generous portion of the water, she threw another question his way.

The sudden curiosity from his counterpart surprised Hachiman slightly but saying something about it was likely to backfire so Hachiman entertained her for now.

"Have you heard of the ride called Arash Airlines?"

"Whatever that is, it doesn't sound too safe."

"Good guess," Hachiman smiled bitterly. "It's at least three times faster than the rollercoaster we just rode but it has no seatbelts, no tracks and everyone is just under the mercy of the wind," he shivered. "As a comparison, I would even go so far as to say that riding a rocket and going to space seems much much safer, at least they train you for a long time before you're allowed to get onboard."

"You've had your difficulties, I see," Rin sympathized with him before donning a more serious visage in the next second. "You found something on the rollercoaster, I presume."

"Unfortunately, yes," Hachiman sighed before dangling the collected sample sealed in a small container for his partner to see.

It was a golden glitter-like substance that was invisible to the naked eye and only those with the aptitude for Magecraft can perceive.

The staff from Chaldea dubbed it as magic power residue. While it varies between each monster, it was basically equivalent to the body fluids that living beings secrete after going through the several biological cycles occurring in their body.

"There's really a whole bunch of them around here, huh," Rin remarked while taking a closer look at the sample. "It's a bit surprising considering it's so close to the city."

"While it's true that places in the heart of the city like this theme park is not abundant with magic power, it is however brimming with the remains of human emotions," he glared towards the spot where he just gathered the residue. "And there are some creatures out there that consider such things to be a delicacy."

"I see," the serious look that the cynic adopted made it difficult for Rin to retort in any other way. "But if that was the case, we didn't have to try the rides themselves and just focus on looking for these traces, right?"

"Well, I figured that you experiencing the rush of emotions yourself would serve as a better explanation."

…Also, you looked like you wanted to try riding them.

But given what he's seen of Rin's personality so far, it was much better to keep that part to himself.

"Wouldn't it have been bad if an actual monster came out while we were riding on one of them?"

The cynic could only shrug at the ravenette's completely logical argument.

"True, but judging from these clues these are the types that only eat the immaterial stuff and not human flesh so no need to be too concerned on that part," he sighed after his explanation. "But if we ever want to get a chance to see the real thing then we'll have to come back here later."

"Eh? But isn't it closing time pretty soon?"

Hachiman stared at Rin as if she grew an extra head.

"You make it sound like they'll seal the entire place in a bounded field or something."

"So we're going to trespass on private party?" the red devil asked while placing both of hands to her hips.

"Don't use such malicious-sounding terms now," Hachiman jokingly warned. "Say it in this manner," he cleared his throat before continuing. "The trail of our investigation just happened to lead us to this place."

The statement that came out of Hachiman's mouth made it seem like he was the devil instead.

"Such flimsy excuses!"

While chuckling to the fuming ravenette, Hachiman noticed a conspicuous structure close to where they were standing that made him inadvertently remember about days long gone.

His gaze went back to Rin who was still a little angry. If for some reason, she ended up having similar preferences as that girl then he… He wasn't sure what he'll feel but it was for the best that his curiosity be settled as early as now.

"On a completely unrelated note," Hachiman stopped on his tracks and glanced back at Rin who was a few steps behind him. "Do you like Pan-san?"

The abrupt change in topic caught Rin completely off-guard.

"Huh? What are you talking about now?"

"It's that panda-like mascot over there," Hachiman pointed towards the merchandise shop he spotted earlier and it just so happened that a family of three; the parents and their daughter, came out of the exit with said daughter was hugging a panda plushie close to her chest as if it was the most precious treasure in the world.

That panda was Pan-san, a mascot of Tokyo Disneyland. Despite being a fictional character, Pan-san's design didn't really stray too far from the actual animal, except for its unnaturally sharp eyes, that is. It was an unlikely trait to have for a children's toy but this factor gave it the uniqueness that made Pan-san stand out amongst the others, earning it a loyal fanbase…

"Eh? Why would I? It doesn't even look cute."

…Rin Tohsaka however was not one of those people.

"Is that so?" even though he was supposed to be relieved, Hachiman felt like his heart was pierced by a red spear after hearing her opinion just now. "Well, I guess that's supposed to be the norm."

Although Rin was a little interested to know the reason behind the sudden tangent, she set aside her curiosity in favor of focusing on this supposed investigation.

"I think we've pretty much explored the entirety of this place. Are we staying here to look for more traces or are we going somewhere else?"

Hearing those words snapped Hachiman out of his stupor.

"Well, for the time being," he fiddled around with his portable terminal a little bit before continuing. "Let's go grab something to eat."

…

In just a single night, the pair composed of Hachiman Hikigaya and Rin Tohsaka went to several places in Chiba that could easily be where a couple would spend their time together… Except, it was all for the sake of work.

A shopping mall, an arcade, a shrine, near the beach and even though both were supposed to be closed at this hour, they even trespassed around the vicinity of the zoo and the baseball stadium.

On each location they visited, they would never fail to find some magic power residue though not necessarily of the same kind.

By a rough estimate, there should be around 10 monster varieties lurking around this Chiba and it wouldn't be too surprising if there were more, much much more.

Right now, just like how they went around from place-to-place throughout the night, Hachiman led the way by moving a few steps ahead of Rin.

"We have one last stop," the self-proclaimed Master called out to his companion behind him. "Do you mind accompanying me for a short while longer, Tohsaka-san?"

"I've spent several hours with you tonight already; I might as well see this through to the end," the girl replied while shrugging.

"Much appreciated."

The two didn't exchange any words after that as one was too busy trying to check for landmarks and the like while the other had her gaze locked onto the former's actions for any suspicious movements from his side.

The said last destination was a spacious field that had a lot of greenery despite being in the heart of the city. There were large trees obscured your vision on some of the buildings nearby, flowers that are in season bloomed on fenced plots and even a well-maintained grassy field that looked like it was the perfect place to have an afternoon nap. Benches, lampposts and vending machines were also distributed around the area. Had it been the middle of the day, it was a space that could easily accommodate several people at the same time but because it was already dark, it was only the two of them here.

"The park? Do you think we can find something here as well?" Rin asked before taking a deep breath to enjoy the more nature-infused air offered by the park.

"Maybe," he looked around and approached a bench with a vending machine close to it. "But for now, all we'll be doing here is to wait."

"Eh? Wait for what?" she felt like she was getting even more confused after hearing the cynic's answers.

"Something to happen or someone to appear, whichever comes first."

"You're planning to directly engage one of our enemies tonight?!" Rin reacted audibly, in great contrast to Hachiman's lethargic responses.

"If the opportunity presents itself, maybe," Hachiman propped himself on one of the benches and fished out his mobile terminal. "In any case, the ball is on their court and all we can do now is wait. If come midnight and nothing happens then we can just go home but by my estimates, we probably won't be waiting too long."

One hour passed by after Humanity's Last Master said those words.

For Hachiman who was busily sorting out the samples they just collected, it came by in a flash.

For Rin however, it was just plain torture. At this rate, she might even die because of boredom.

As it turns out, what this contrarian considered as a long wait was vastly different from her own standards. There were multiple instances earlier were she thought about heading back first but now that she's committed so much of her time already, it felt like she would only lose more if she left at this timing.

The only times where she wasn't as bored would be when…

"I'm planning to buy another drink; would you like another one as well?" offered Hachiman while crushing the second can of Max Coffee that he's had in the past hour.

…He goes and awkwardly talks to her like this.

"I'll pass. I think I had enough for the night," Rin glanced at the two PET bottles of tea that she finished over the course of waiting.

While having a drink did provide her something to do, going through another bottle in her current state was definitely pushing it so as starved for entertainment as Rin was, she could only refuse.

"Okay, then," Hachiman quickly got up and purchased another can of coffee after getting Rin's reply.

The fact that it was only her who was bothered by this awkward atmosphere ticked her off even more.

It's not like she wanted to talk with Hachiman Hikigaya in particular but because it was only the two of them here, she'd rather talk with this unpleasant man than brood in silence while he's conducting his own business.

Or so Rin tries to justify her illogical actions to herself.

"Hey, is something really going to happen later?" Rin asked without even bothering to hide both her boredom and doubt.

Due to being occupied with all the sampling analysis, Hachiman only answered with a singular word. "Probably."

A vein popped on Rin's head after seeing how disinterested Hachiman was acting.

Strike one.

"Hey, talk about something."

The abrupt demand left Hachiman speechless for a couple of seconds. He could only feel pity towards the guy she would end up taking a fancy with in the future.

"Why do I have to be the one to come up with a topic?"

That protest of his made another vein pop.

Strike two.

"Isn't keeping the girl entertained the boy's job?"

This time around, it was actually Rin who struck a chord on him.

"I'm sorry but I am a firm believer of gender equality so that kind of reasoning won't work on me."

The comeback attempt he made however was strike three.

With her anger at her peak, Rin Tohsaka went ahead and used her most powerful move…

"Do it or I'll leave right this instant."

…And that was to suddenly go into troublesome girl mode.

"Okay fine," Hachiman relented while wondering whether she was doing such a thing deliberately or not. It sure didn't feel like an act to him though. "But rather than me coming up with the topic how about you ask me any question you can think of and I'll try my best to answer?"

Since he felt like Rin would complain regardless of whatever topic he chose, Hachiman decided to pass the ball back to her and take on the role of a listener instead. It was a little tidbit he learned from a female Servant of his who mastered the way of the JK.

Apparently, when a girl wants you to talk, it was their way of indirectly saying that they want you to listen.

"Alright then," Rin gave in quite easily, a testament to how effective the advice that Hachiman received was. "What thaumaturgical attribute are you most proficient at?"

Given the nature of their acquaintanceship so far, it was only natural that she would ask that kind of question first.

"Ah, about that," Hachiman thought for a second about exactly how much he should and should not reveal to her just yet. "Simply put, aside from the most basics of the basics, the kind of Magecraft I use are only for supporting my Servants," he scratched his head in embarrassment. "Also, because my proficiency in Magecraft is abysmal according to the set standards, I can only use it well when I put on a Mystic Code."

"What?! Isn't that just plain hopeless?"

He was already very much aware of that fact without Rin saying it out loud.

"Cut me some slack. I can't do anything about it if something like that is just in my setting," came the pathetic excuse of Humanity's Last Master.

"Huh? Setting? What are you talking about now?"

As anyone would expect, the girl with the traditional Magus upbringing was not quite oriented with the otaku culture.

"Don't worry about it."

Since the topic is about Magecraft however, Rin Tohsaka couldn't just easily let it go.

"In my opinion, you should learn to use some of them, you'll never know if they come up."

"That's true but the effect of that would be minimal at best. If I had to borrow the words of a certain Greek Hero," he emphasized the word by making air quotes. "Rather than boost myself from a 2 to a 5, it is much more effective to turn my Servants from a 100 to a 150."

While the math didn't quite add up, Rin could pretty much understand the direction his logic was heading towards so she didn't see the need to correct him.

"I guess if it's worked out for you so far then there's no need to fix something that isn't broken."

"Exactly."

"Alright, while we're at it here's my next question," Hachiman had to physically stop himself from loudly retorting a we're not done? after hearing Rin talk. "How are you so sure of your victory in this upcoming Holy Grail War?"

Thankfully, the question this time around was much easier to answer.

"Well, let's just say that I'm confident that none of the other participants could summon a Servant as powerful as mine."

"Is it a Divine Spirit like Ishtar?"

Hachiman was unable to hold the urge to laugh after hearing Rin's guess.

"Hahahahaha! Yeah, someone like that."

"As expected, huh. Although it sounds completely absurd for a lone Magus to summon something like a Divine Spirit, the fact that you're this confident must mean it's true," Rin brought a hand to her chin as she seriously began to think about the kind of methods that could make such an event possible.

"Oh, you believe me?" came Hachiman's provocation along with a smirk making Rin sigh in response.

"You've already told me one ludicrous thing after another, what's one more to add to the tally?"

"Thank you for saving me the time to explain myself," Hachiman performed a light bow from his current sitting position before shrugging in resignation in the next second. "I'll say this to you now but even I don't know why such a thing was possible."

"Are you serious?" Rin raised one of her brows while asking.

"Yep, completely."

Hachiman's straightforward answer made the twin-tailed ravenette sigh.

"For the sake of conversation, let's just say that what you've said is true," Rin raised her index finger and began chastising Hachiman like a big sister would to her little brother. "Even then you shouldn't get too cocky. We still don't know why a Divine Spirit would answer the call of a mortal like you. You can only hope that they have purest of intentions."

"Don't worry," hearing the advice almost made Hachiman's lips twist into a wry smile. "While the Servant I'm contracted with does have her flaws, deep inside, I know that she's a good person."

"!?"

For some reason, Rin Tohsaka felt like her heart skipped a beat when she heard those words but before she could do anything about this weird condition she was feeling so suddenly…

*beep* *beep* *beep*

An alert sound similar to how a cellphone would notify its user if an email was received came from the terminal on Hachiman's hands. Since the device being described here was none other than the state-of-the-art Chaldea Portable Terminal, the scope of this alert involved more than just Hachiman Hikigaya's personal affairs.

"Bingo, huh," Hachiman smiled wryly. "It's not really the kind of jackpot I want to happen though," his expression then became serious that it was almost unimaginable to connect it with his earlier impassivity. "Tohsaka-san I'll explain later but for now let's go!" he said before breaking into a run.

"Eh? To where?"

Despite her confusion, Rin found herself dashing right behind the cynic even before he answered her question, like it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.

"Disneyland! We've got a hit!"

Because of how the park was like the midpoint of all the other locations they visited earlier, it only took a short while for the pair to run towards the location. Truly it pays to train one's body, had Hachiman done such a marathon a few years ago, he would have fainted without even reaching the halfway mark.

Upon arriving on the site indicated by the terminal, the two were greeted with several glowing entities causing havoc around one of Chiba's most popular tourist attraction.

The best way to describe them would be…

"Are those…" Rin asked with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. "Hands?!"

"Indeed they are."

Chaldea formally classified such creatures with the name Divine Arm of Dawn.

These entities look like they were severed starting from the forearm area of a person and in place of veins, magical circuits can be seen pulsing around their bodies, or what's left of it. They were all gold and despite not having eyes, ears or a nose, they all immediately locked onto the black-haired pair like a hunting hound would towards their prey.

A flash similar to that of a camera manifested around their palm area and in the next second…

"Get down!"

"Wha!?"

*boom* *boom* *boom* *boom* *boom*

…Golden energy balls came flying towards the pair. Each attack was easily able to gouge out a hole on the earth. No human being could possibly get out unscathed from a direct hit of that attack.

"That was close," she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for helping me."

"Save it for later," Hachiman spoke in a sterner voice than usual. "Let's both get out of this sticky situation first."

The two ran towards the closest cover they could find, the lovely carousel which was a favorite among the kids.

"Wouldn't this easily be resolved if you just use that Servant that you're so proud of?"

The question that Rin casually threw at him easily cracked the serious visage that Hachiman had going for himself.

"You see about that," he could only avert his eyes away from Rin in guilt. "I haven't actually formed a contract with a Heroic Spirit just yet."

"What?!"

Because of Rin's loud reaction, the hands were able to sense where they were hiding so the two had no other choice but to quickly look for another one. Since the carousel was stuck in its place however, it was easily set ablaze.

With how almost every ride in the amusement park was being watched by an enemy, the two had no other choice but to hide behind the counter of the cafeteria.

"Okay, now where were we? Ah, screw it! I was originally planning to take things slow but I'll have to make do with what I have now," Hachiman leaned forward and grabbed both of Rin's shoulders. "Tohsaka-san."

"Yes?!"

The abrupt boldness of Hachiman took Rin by surprise. The fact that his face was now close to hers wasn't helping her either.

"I'll take full responsibility so please," after making the most solemn face he could muster, Hachiman Hikigaya then bowed. "Make a pact with me."

The request which was dangerously similar to a love confession left Rin Tohsaka so flustered that her ears became crimson.

"Excuse me?! Wh-Wh-What are you talking about?"

With how one thing was leading to another far too quickly, she couldn't even give a proper retort anymore. Luckily, there weren't any monsters nearby that could be alerted from her voice.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Hachiman then took out three rainbow-colored prisms from his pocket and injected some of his magic power in them. "It's alright. It'll all be over before you know it…"

After all, if this gamble fails, we're both dead.

Needless to say, Hachiman kept that part to himself.

From a pocket hidden underneath his jacket, he took out a knife and swiftly made a cut on his palm, letting blood trickle down to the ground. Following that, a series of spell words were weaved from the lips of Humanity's Last Master in order to initiate the ritual that he has done countless of times before.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill! Repeat every five times. Simply shatter once filled…"

The blood that was on the ground moved as if it had a will of its own, forming a magical formation with Rin Tohsaka at its center. At this point, she could've easily moved aside but a mysterious force from within her unconscious will, rooted her in place.

"…Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let the first Magus of my line be the ancestor. The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates of all four directions close. From the crown, come forth and follow the forked road to the kingdom..."

The three prisms floated around Hachiman's palm before they began to spin, the rate increasing as Hachiman continued evoking the ceremony.

"…I hereby announce. My will shall create thy body and thy sword shall create my fate. Abiding by the call of Humanity at their imminent end, if thou dost accede to this will and reason, answer me…"

The prisms floated upwards before moving to surround Rin, tracing the circle that was made by Hachiman's blood from below. They then began to rotate and revolve around Rin as the center.

"…I hereby swear. I will be all that is good in the eternal world. I will be the disposer of evil in the eternal world…"

The rate at which the prisms rotated and revolved increased and before long, their figures couldn't be identified anymore, turning into a pure white ring. At the same time, the magic circle that was made from blood also began glowing in a similar white light.

"…Thou, clad with the Great Trinity, come forth from the circle of constraint, Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

A torrent of endless white light erupted from the magic circle, fully immersing Rin on it. The intensity of the light was so great that it even formed a bright tower in the night sky. It was the kind of spectacle that you would never miss if you were anywhere in the city.

The dazzling display however didn't last for more than a couple of seconds, an interval that was more than an instant but brief enough that there was no time to pull out your phone in order to take a photo.

From the epicenter of the light then walked out the figure of the same twin-tailed ravenette that he's been dragging around earlier though the air around her now was vastly different from when she was just a human.

No matter how many times he's seen this light and whoever comes out of it, Hachiman Hikigaya would always feel overcome with emotion. For this case in particular, since he was summoning the same Servant for the second time around, he couldn't help but remember the first time this girl manifested in front of him…

"I have a lot of complaints," the twin-tailed ravenette spoke while crossing her arms to her chest, clearly not in the best of moods. "But let's beat the heck out of all our enemies first before we get to any of that."

…The fact that what came out of this girl's mouth was nowhere near to what that Servant of his said in the past meant that she was still Rin Tohsaka and not the Goddess of Beauty he was much more used to interacting with…

But that was not necessarily a bad thing.

"Sure. I'll be in your care."

…

Outstanding individuals who achieved deeds so great that they transcend the constraints of time itself.

That is what a Heroic Spirit is.

It is only natural that against such magnificent existences, the likes of monsters should be no match against them.

At least, that's what one would originally think.

"Hey! I thought I was supposed to be super strong. What the heck is this?!" came the scream of Rin Tohsaka as she ran for her life even after going through the summoning ceremony. Forget about a Noble Phantasm, the only thing she got out of it was a lavish golden tiara and a slight boost to her magic power reserves.

Unfortunately, because of how flashy that spell was, it attracted not only the hands but also every other monster close to the vicinity of Tokyo Disneyland. There were slow-moving golems and even a couple of amazoness warriors among the mix. In other words, despite their own combat power not increasing by much, the number of enemies they have to deal with have more than doubled.

"My best guess is that your body's connection with the Heroic Spirit I just summoned must still be weak so you're only able to call upon this much power," he sighed. "It's really an unfortunate miscalculation."

Regardless of how close or far his deduction was from the actual truth, Rin was far too preoccupied to care.

"Do something already!" came the demand of his supposed Servant. Turns out, this girl was a lot similar to the Heroic Spirit she fused with than he initially expected.

Hopeless was an apt word to describe their situation but despite the odds, Hachiman maintained his calm, staying true to his moniker, Monster of Logic. It would be way too embarrassing for both him as well as every other foe he defeated before if he died to a mob of monsters like this.

Fighting is not just about physical attacks.

Calculate, scheme and entrap. In battle, the outcome is what matters.

The voices of two renowned strategists echoed on Hachiman's head. At the moment, their advice acted like a lighthouse for a ship sailing on a foggy night.

While mentally reciting those words like a mantra, Hachiman's brain kicked into overdrive.

As he led around the monsters in a chase, he began noting all the enemies' reactions and mapping the layout of the theme park on his head.

It was only once he had all the necessary information in order did he speak again.

"Okay, Tohsaka-san, I have a plan," not a single trace of panic could be detected from how Hachiman spoke. "Do you mind listening to whatever I'll tell you for the next few minutes without questioning me?"

Given their situation, Rin Tohsaka didn't really have much of a choice.

"I suppose i-i-it would be better than nothing," she tried to emulate her counterpart's calmness but her response still came out a little shaky in the end.

"Thank you," Hachiman's demeanor softened for a second before taking a more serious light in the next one. "Alright, let's turn right here!"

What was waiting for them upon turning that corner was a giant humanoid made of a rock-like material. It possessed a muscular build that couldn't easily be emulated by the human body even if they dedicated all of their life to training.

A Golem.

In Hachiman's eyes however…

"Shoot that thing once to attract his attention!"

…It was just a target.

"Roger!" Rin honored her promise from earlier and shot first before asking questions later. "Now what?"

The cynic grabbed the clueless girl's wrist before replying.

"We run!"

Rin's embarrassment of this unexpected physical contact only lasted until she saw what was in front of them.

"We're heading straight towards another one though!"

Hachiman calmly relayed another set of instructions in response to her scream.

"On my signal, get down! Ready?" he had no time to look behind him to confirm if Rin was listening or not. He could only rely on her quick wits. "Now!"

If you make the calculations you will succeed.

Mathematics has never been one of Hachiman's strong points but that didn't mean that there wasn't anything he could extract from the words of a young mathematician who became a Napoleon of Crime later in their life.

You don't need precise values in order to make a formula work.

In this case…

Heavy Golem running at full speed + Another Golem =

*crash*

Collision.

It was an instant death for both of the golems as they were made from the same material.

Piles of the golem's body were sent flying because of the momentum of that clash, hitting all of the attractions nearby but Hachiman at the moment had no time to think about that as another mob of monsters were closing in on them.

"Alright, let's move."

It was only after hiding behind one of the still intact ticket booths were the two of them finally able to take a breather.

"Tohsaka-san."

"Yes?"

"Can you hit something as big as those energy balls those hands toss towards us from this distance?"

Although it was worded as a request, Rin could somehow feel the trust this man had in her and personally… She wanted to answer those expectations.

"I've never tried," while Rin was still unsure if she could properly wield the powers of a Servant, she is at least aware of what class she ended up with and it was none other than the Knight of the Bow, Archer. "But a part of me feels like it will be a piece of cake."

The moment she said those words, Rin had no idea that her irises changed from being similar to lapis lazulis into those of rubies, a sight that Hachiman could only treat as a good omen.

"Heh, I'll be relying on you then," he let out a rare confident smile. "Time it so that you hit those energy balls just before those hands can shoot them."

"Got it," Rin nodded while internally psyching herself up. "What do we do about the amazoness warriors?"

A perplexed Hachiman looked at Rin as if she was the biggest fool in the world.

"What do you mean? They're basically humans. If you hit them on their head or heart then they die. It's as simple as that."

"Right, I guess that works," she had no words to retort to that. "But then, what will you be doing?"

"Hm? Isn't that obvious?" he tilted his head in a mocking manner. "I'll be the bait."

"Huh?! Are you crazy?!"

The red devil's words fell onto deaf ears as Hachiman leapt into the frontlines without a single care in the world. While his decisiveness to carry out such a dangerous task was indeed admirable what Rin was more surprised about was how quickly he identified that this was their best course of action as she was still not quite used to her powers as a Servant.

"Now, come at me!" Hachiman deliberately provoked the monsters in a loud voice so they can focus on him and not on his partner who was sneakily trying to get into a good sniping position.

The more Rin observed Hachiman's actions, the more she was impressed. When she initially heard that he'll act as bait, she thought he would run or roll around the area haphazardly to try to get away from the enemies' range but he was actually pretty methodical with his movements.

He never dodged too early or too late and sometimes, he would even guide the monsters' aim towards themselves, taking them both out at the same time. Aside from that, Hachiman was also taking into account Rin's own movements so that she would have a clear line-of-fire on her own target.

It was a great display of Hachiman Hikigaya's physical abilities as well as his knack for tactics. Clearly, this wasn't the first time he was doing such a thing.

The horde of hands that they were having trouble earlier was also slowly but surely getting dealt with. Turns out, when Rin's attacks hit the energy balls while they were still charging, it detonates them on the spot, causing an explosion strong enough to take out the hand itself.

The only monster that they don't have a clear battle plan would be the amazoness warriors, aside from Rin landing some lucky headshots here and there.

The amazoness warriors are humanoid-type monsters that resemble the legendary female warriors that could fight toe-to-toe with heroes. They are skilled in a multitude of weapons but this monster variety however has lost all reason and was therefore similar to a Berserker Servant, simply relying on its superior strength, but no matter how much stronger they were so long as Hachiman was able to predict their moves, he could dodge them. He had much more trouble dodging a certain saintess' fist.

*roar*

A deafening sound accompanied with the rumble of the ground rang across the battlefield. The slow-moving golems have finally arrived in this new battlefield.

Despite the appearance of brand-new foes, Hachiman kept his composure.

"You're finally here…"

Some logic and strategy must bear human weakness in mind.

The words of an Assassin Servant who was famed for not needing a second strike rang on his head as he observed every move from all the opponents coming at him.

This battle will never end until one side completely annihilates the other and Hachiman could only keep dodging for so long. In order to overcome the difference in physique between him and these battle-hardened warriors, he was planning to use raw weight to completely overwhelm them.

"Come!"

*roar*

The golem responded vehemently towards Hachiman's taunt but just like what he's been doing for the past few minutes, he dodged its attack right before it landed. This time around however Hachiman did not immediately move to keep his distance away from the enemy but instead jumped upwards instead, until he was able to mount the gigantic rock monster on its back.

"Now wreak havoc for me!"

The golem flailed around in order to shake off Hachiman from its back but that was exactly what Hachiman wanted it to do. Its uncontrolled thrashing hit its fellow golems and took out the amazoness warriors who were close by. Hachim would continue to guide the golem's movements until they were tired out or they would be destroyed from an attack by another monster. When that happens, he goes ahead and mounts another one and the process repeats itself ad infinitum.

What made this approach even better was that because of the golem's overbearing size, the hands and the amazoness warriors could not ignore its presence so they ended up forgetting about Rin who could safely snipe them from the distance.

Using the enemy's strengths against themselves and maximizing the options available to him, Humanity's Last Master finally seized victory after an hour or so of struggling.

It wasn't a perfect fight by any means. Cuts and bruises littered over Hachiman's body and he was 100% sure that it was going to be sore come morning but given what little resources he could work with, he couldn't be too dissatisfied with this kind of result… So long as he ignored the collateral damage that was caused, that is.

The bombardment from the hands created several craters on the ground. The rampage of the golems shattered numerous attractions and even damaged the supports of the large rollercoaster that was the pride of the establishment. While the attacks from the amazoness were less destructive compared to the former two, their arrows pierced deeply on wherever they landed which caused fatal damage to electrical wirings and such.

Long story short, Tokyo Disneyland will never be the same again after tonight…

Unfortunately, it was only going to get worse from this point onwards.

"Watch out!"

*boom*

A beam of concentrated light rained from above. Unlike the hands' attacks and the golems' steps which made minor craters on the ground, the intense heat from this attack easily traced a line on the pavement like a marker running through a piece of paper.

Tracing the trajectory of the beam, the attacker can be found hovering near the Ferris wheel. It was a dark-purple sphere with tentacles sprouting from its back serving as its limbs. In the middle of its body was a gigantic eye which still had steam coming out of it from the heat of the laser it just unleashed.

A Gazer.

Some part of Hachiman felt like it was truly fitting for a demon type monster to be their last enemy considering that they were in a theme park with a fantasy setting.

While this monster is indeed powerful, the countermeasures for it were equally as simple. So long as one was out of the reach of their tentacles and are not standing in front of them, then it wasn't too difficult to deal with.

That being said, Hachiman Hikigaya and Rin Tohsaka's current position was the worst place to be in as the monster had the jump on them first. Even if they start running away at this instant, there was no way they were going to make it...

"It's getting ready to fire again! We need to run away!" Rin tried to drag Hachiman with her but the young man who was swiftly moving about earlier just stood still and smiled like a general who was in the midst of battle.

"Tohsaka-san," came Hachiman's calm and firm voice with nary a trace of fear in it. Just hearing it was enough to lessen Rin's panic. "Believe me and just shoot."

Her reply came first before she could even properly think of her words.

"Understood, Master!"

Even though she had no recollection of ever fighting together with this man aside from tonight, in this life-and-death situation, she somehow found herself wholeheartedly believing in his orders.

She aimed at the dead center of the giant eyeball and gathered as much power as she could muster onto her finger.

Seconds before she unleashed her attack, Rin Tohsaka felt a torrent of magic power erupting from her very core. While trying her best to ignore the intense stimulus her body was experiencing, she fired her arrow.

The clash between the Gazer's beam and Rin's boosted arrow ended up in mutual annihilation but because the arrow was faster, the monster got caught up in the explosion and was thoroughly annihilated, thereby causing the greatest damage in the amusement park by a landslide. To be more specific, the Ferris wheel became a sacrifice for the greater good. There wasn't even any debris or flames, it was just vaporized completely out of existence.

"What was that just now?!" Rin couldn't believe that such overwhelming power could come from her.

"Mana Burst or more specifically, a type of Magecraft that tries to reproduce it," Hachiman dusted off his clothes as he continued to explain. "Instead of constantly amplifying the Servant with magic power for a long duration, it is condensed and unleashed all in a single instant."

Rin nodded in understanding to Hachiman's brief explanation.

"I see. I guess this is why you don't see the need to work on offensive Magecraft yourself. Empowering a Heroic Spirit's attack seems to be much more powerful," she then approached Hachiman and leaned towards him, examining his face. "By the looks of it, that didn't take a lot out from you either so it might even be more efficient."

While Hachiman appreciated the fact that a more powerful Magus like Rin was complimenting his train of thought, there was a more urgent case that he needed to take care of.

"Tohsaka-san," Hachiman took out his jacket and handed it towards the girl in front of him. "Don't ask me any questions and wear this first."

"Huh? Why would I…?" Rin inadvertently lowered her gaze only to end up seeing what Hachiman didn't want her to see. "Wait! Why am I basically naked?!"

Without her knowing, her current attire changed into a white two-piece set of what could only be underwear with golden ornaments on the edges. If one disregarded the strap, her back was pretty much bare and her stomach was in full display as well. Aside from golden accessories, the only other parts of her getup which can be considered as clothing would be the black stocking on her right leg, an arm sleeve on her left arm and a skirt-like garment that only extended to her rear.

"It seems like your connection to the Heroic Spirit in you has improved so you started to take on her appearance," Hachiman explained matter-of-factly while trying his best not to make any inappropriate glances towards Rin's way. While he has indeed seen this revealing outfit countless of times in Chaldea, that red-eyed Heroic Spirit was a different individual from this blue-eyed Rin Tohsaka.

"A-A-Are you saying I only wear this much in combat?" she nervously asked while trying to cover her body. It was obvious that a part of her was afraid of hearing the answer that will come out of the cynic's mouth.

"Of course not. That would be absurd."

The curt answer from the young man made Rin sigh in relief.

"Yeah, of course that wouldn't be the case..."

Her respite however was rather short-lived.

"You wear it in every occasion, not just in battle."

"!"

The severe mental damage she received after hearing that revelation made it difficult for Rin to remain standing. Given how much the girl has been through this one night, Hachiman decided to manually put the brakes on all the teasing for now.

"Just put on my jacket. It's not much but it should be better than nothing."

Rin can't help but cast a suspicious glare at Hachiman even after his kind gesture.

"Did you put on that many layers because you expected something like this would happen?"

That was indeed true but Hachiman felt like things would become more troublesome if he admitted that so easily so he decided to give a noncommittal answer instead.

"It's a coincidence. It's a coincidence," he nonchalantly shrugged. It was not like he was going to lose anything if she refused his offer anyways. "So, are you wearing it or not?"

"I'll wear it! I'll wear it!" Rin grabbed the jacket and begrudgingly draped it around her body. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath while pouting. Despite hearing it with his sensitive ears as a byproduct of his self-consciousness, Hachiman was tactful enough to not comment about it.

A part of the reason why was also because they were not quite done here just yet.

"As much as I would like to let you relax already," Hachiman put on a pair of black gloves as he spoke. "We still have one last job for tonight unfortunately."

"Wait, are you saying that there are still more monsters?" she frowned but didn't look like she would disagree if Hachiman begged her enough to help.

"Oh, it's nothing like that though in a way, it could be said to be more troublesome," his expression then became one a corporate slave who was so used to being told to work overtime would wear. "We need to extract important materials from the monsters we just killed."

…

While the design of houses in modern Japan have been getting a lot of inspiration from the west lately, one house on this particular residential area stood out among the rest for being a bit too western. Very much so, that it gave the feeling that it was not supposed to be of this world.

The Tohsaka residence.

It was a two-story mansion painted in white and various shades of brown, giving it an antique feel. It has a sizable garden with some of its trees eclipsing the height of the house itself. Given its apparent elegance, there was a possibility for it to end up like a heritage site or a tourist attraction of sorts but because of how poorly maintained it was in recent times and the strong bounded field surrounding it, it became known throughout the entire neighborhood as a haunted house instead.

That being said, Hachiman has never seen this house before until today, despite living in this part of Chiba all throughout his entire life. It was another firm reminder to him that this was not his world.

Although the house looked extremely spacious on the outside, not a single maid or butler was here and only the mistress of the house was living in it...

"I still can't believe that I actually became a Servant," Rin Tohsaka massaged her temple as she let her head rest on the table. "And the Goddess Ishtar at that. It doesn't sound real at all no, everything that happened just a few hours ago, didn't feel real."

…Tonight however, a special guest came to visit.

"Believe it. It will be troublesome for me in more ways than one if you don't."

The reply came from the audacious young man who was calmly sipping tea and making himself at home on another person's house but as for his true thoughts in the matter…

I can't believe it worked too.

Of course, the guest (hypocrite) here is none other than Hachiman Hikigaya AKA Rin Tohsaka's current Master.

At this point, just looking at him was more than enough to irritate her.

"So now that I'm your Servant, does that mean I have to call you Master all the time?" even a child could tell how disgusted Rin was just from the thought of it but as someone who is already so used to being looked at by such expressions, Hachiman was able to take it in stride.

"I personally don't mind being called Master but we're sure to get some weird glances if you call me like that in public so addressing me by my name is fine. I'm not too particular with those kinds of things in the first place," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Then, is Hikigaya-kun fine?" she asked with a slight blush on her cheeks, caused from a mix of both her frustration and embarrassment. She felt even more ashamed at the fact that she was the only one that was bothered by all this…

"…Yep… That's perfectly fine..."

…Or so she thought.

Turns out, hearing his name being called by someone who looked so similar to that girl affected Hachiman more than he thought, causing a delay in his response for a few seconds.

Of course, Rin wasn't going to miss such a rare slip-up from him.

"You're blushing, Hikimo-kun."

The red devil tried to tease Hachiman but as a veteran of being in the receiving end of such exchanges both before and after he joined Chaldea, it was easy for him to tell that she was in fact, not quite used to doing such a thing.

In other words, she was a glass cannon.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not really used to this kind of thing so I didn't realize we were already close enough to use nicknames with each other," Hachiman acted apologetically before adapting a more sadistic visage in the next second. "Shall I call you Rin-tan then?"

Rin reeled back in pain as if she was just punched in the gut. Looking at her reaction, oh how Hachiman wished he could use the same comeback to that girl in one of their past back-and-forths. He was willing to bet that she would react in exactly the same manner.

"So calling you Hikigaya-kun is fine, right? I look forward to working with you," Rin bowed after saying so.

It was likely that she just went ahead and did the first thing that popped up on her head in her desperate attempt to change the topic. On Hachiman's end, since he already achieved his purpose of preventing Rin from opening the old wounds from his middle school years, he decided to play along with her.

"Likewise, Tohsaka-san."

That kind of friendly exchange was probably a good point to call it a night but the sole inheritor of the Tohsaka lineage seems to have a different idea.

"By the way, Hikigaya-kun, there is something I want to clarify with you."

The lingering satisfaction from trumping her earlier lowered Hachiman's guard.

"What is it?"

Rin smiled amiably but the aura she emanated clearly showed that she was feeling anything but delight.

"You're not actually planning on staying over for tonight, right?" Rin glared at her supposed Master while crossing her arms but all she got from him was a look that seemed to say that she was the biggest idiot in the world.

"Huh? Of course I am," he said it like it was the most logical thing for any human to do in this situation. "It's much safer for Master and Servant to stick together," Hachiman then adopted a more reassuring tone as he continued. "Ah, don't worry about the supplies. Even though Chaldea is a black company in terms of sheer working hours, they are at least pretty generous when it comes to supplying resources so you can be rest assured that me staying here won't be affecting your food budget. If you want, I can even share some of it to you and you can treat it as my rent."

"That's not the problem here!" Rin screamed in indignation. "A boy and girl of our age shouldn't be living in the same roof together!"

"Don't worry," Hachiman nodded solemnly. "I won't do anything to you without your consent." While blushing furiously, Rin quickly gathered magic power onto her right index finger. "It's a joke," he calmly interjected. "We're technically minors in this world anyways."

Hearing those particular words made Rin freeze.

"Wait… Does that mean…?" her cheeks became redder and redder as she continued. "H-H-Have you done that kind of thing before?" her voice became unclear at the latter half of her statement but it was still enough for Hachiman to understand her words.

Huh? What thing?

Would have been the dumb reply of a dense protagonist but such a description did not fit the personality of Hachiman Hikigaya. He could have easily told her the truth as well but the urge to tease the girl in front of him triumphed over any kind of logical reasoning from his side.

"Who knows?" he smiled deviously. "I'll leave that to your imagination."

It took the Tohsaka heiress a few seconds before she understood what those words of his imply.

"You…! You…! You…!" Rin's index finger shivered as she pointed it to the smiling devil in front of her.

It didn't matter if this self-proclaimed Savior of the World was in her house or not anymore. Now that they have entered into a contract with each other, all it was going to take was a single Command Spell and she'll be entirely at his mercy…

"PERVERT!"

*slap*

…Before her delusions got any wilder, Rin Tohsaka decided to make the move that made the most amount of sense at the moment and that was none other than to suddenly slap the young man in front of her which was the source of all her distress before immediately running back to her room and slamming the door shut, leaving a Hachiman Hikigaya by his lonesome on the mansion's living room while wincing from the pain on his cheek.

On his end, there was only one thing that the cynic wanted to say after surviving the full-power slap of an embarrassed tsundere.

"Worth…"

Despite having fought with and against Gods, the Gods of Romantic Comedy seems to have not abandoned Humanity's Last Master quite yet.

---

Interlude ? – A Normal Person's Daily Routine

The way towards Chiba's shopping mall was one of the more crowded areas in this city around the afternoon. This is because it was an area stacked with all kinds of establishments that catered to the needs of different people.

There were bars, family restaurants, cafés, a minimarket, a pachinko parlor, specialty shops… You can basically find everything here.

As if that wasn't enough, it was also relatively close to the train station and is one of the routes anyone would have to pass through if they intend to visit some of the more popular places here in Chiba... Being a Magus was no exception.

Around the midpoint of a particular duo's unexpected escapade, a tall young man possessing a medium build used to physical activity but did not seem to deliberately train for it, was heading out to do the groceries for today's dinner. His hair was an orange shade closely resembling that of falling leaves in autumn while his eyes were a chestnut brown, giving him a sincere and hardworking impression. He wore jeans, a pair of sneakers and a white shirt with dark-blue sleeves.

If a certain Humanity's Last Master had to give his first impression of him then he would say that this guy could either be a huge pushover or the most stubborn idiot in the planet. He could also easily be both but never in-between.

Unless there were special circumstances, this young man always headed out at this kind of time everyday. It was pretty much a routine for him even back when he was still a kid. Because of this, he would end up recognizing most of the people walking by on this same street just from their obvious outward features, like their attire or hair for example.

On this particular day, he spotted two black-haired individuals that he would have never thought to be in this kind of place at this hour, much less together.

One was a girl whose hair was thick enough that it still cascaded in the middle even if she tied them into twin-tails. It was a hairstyle that was too unique for it to be mistaken as someone else's. Calling her famous in school was an understatement, she was pretty much the campus' diva.

Her companion however was the exact opposite and by that it didn't mean that he was infamous but rather, barely anyone knew him, even his own classmates. He was a tall guy with a build that was more muscular than what his clothes suggest. Despite his relaxed stance, it didn't seem like he was showing any obvious openings… No, it was more like he was deliberately trying to provoke others to come as close as possible. As to why this amber-haired youth could clearly tell such implications, he wasn't quite sure himself. He just felt an odd sense of familiarity with this black-haired youth for some reason. That being said, if he was ever asked what his name was then…

"Tohsaka and Hi-Hi… Hikitani, was it?" he softly muttered to himself but that faint whisper of his wasn't entirely missed by his companion.

"Senpai, is there something wrong?" came the concerned voice of the girl beside him as her purple eyes locked onto his own brown orbs.

Said girl had long purple hair and a body that definitely fit within the voluptuous category but because of her meek demeanor and how she dressed modestly, a white button-up blouse that covered her ample chest with sleeves that reached up to her forearms and a cream skirt that went below the knees, she never gave the others a sensual impression.

"No, I think I saw Sobu students from the same year as me and was wondering if I should call out to them," he reasoned out while pointing towards the direction of the unlikely tandem.

"Other Senpais then?" she nodded, making her long purple hair sway with her movement. "We should definitely greet them."

"You're right, let's… Huh?" he scratched the back of his head in confusion. "They're gone?"

No matter how many times he looked around, he couldn't spot a singe trace of the unlikely duo anywhere nearby. It was as if they disappeared by using magic.

Concerned for his well-being, the kouhai decided to ask something just to make sure.

"Uhm, was Senpai not mistaken perhaps?"

"Now that you mention it," said senpai brought a hand to his chin while trying to recall what he just saw. "It seems very unlikely for those two to be together so maybe I made a mistake?"

"Really, you should be careful, senpai," the younger yet seemingly more responsible girl chastised the guy beside her but still wore a kind smile on her face. Looking at it from an outsider's perspective, the atmosphere surrounding the two was close to that of a newly married couple that was still trying to get used to living together. "It's dangerous to be like that when we're out on the road like this."

"Haha, right. Sorry about that."

"Fufu, it's no trouble at all, senpai. I'm glad to be of help to you no matter how minor," her smile was as mesmerizing to look at as the falling petals of the flower that her name was taken from. The young man felt like he could spend the rest of his days just looking at such a picturesque expression but alas, it was not meant to be. "Let's go, senpai. We'll have to hurry if we want to catch up to the limited discount offers from the supermarket," the serious girl from earlier pumped her fists in excitement.

Seeing the unexpected side of his counterpart made the boy chuckle.

"Right, I'll be right behind you," is what he said but after taking a few steps forward, he found himself stopping on his tracks and taking another glance behind him. As expected, the two figures he saw earlier were not there anymore but just because they weren't here now that didn't automatically mean that he made a mistake earlier. "Was it really just my imagination back then?" he muttered to himself.

Without his conscious input, he found himself taking one step forward, not to the path where he could go on with his usual routine but towards the direction of the unknown. For some reason, the temptation to go against his usual flow was very strong today but just when he was about to take another step…

"Senpai?" came the delicate voice of his kouhai. Not only that, he also felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of his shirt. "Where are you going?"

Being asked like that so suddenly made him panic, forcing him to come up with an excuse on-the-spot.

"Ah, I thought I left something back at home for a second there," cold sweat trailed down his back as he spoke. "But that doesn't seem the case," he broke eye contact while saying so as even a glimpse of his kouhai's somber eyes was making him feel the same guilt a husband cheating on his wife should feel. "Let's go," he stepped forward and ended up grabbing the girl's wrist instead, leading the way to their supposed destination.

While the physical contact was indeed a surprise to the girl… By no means did she ever find it unpleasant.

"Yes!"

Looking at her radiant smile, there was no way that the amber-haired youth could ever consider the decision he made tonight to be wrong.

---

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay but hey, it didn't take several months this time around so at least there is some improvement although admittedly, the bar that I set for myself was rather low.

Anyways, today's release is a special thank you chapter for letting me reach the 100 faves/follows milestone. I did this kind of thing in my first fic and thought that it would be a good idea to bring it back for this one.

What a great coincidence that I wrote about Ishtar considering what just dropped in FGO JP. If you know, you know.

A part of me thought that something like this could have been its own series itself but because the Hachiman I'll be using is essentially the same character, I thought why not just jam it in here.

The order of things may get a little confusing but the order of the chapters was not supposed to matter in the first place, each one is supposed to stand on its own unless otherwise stated.

As to why I didn't write something like this immediately after I reached the milestone, I just felt like I should add more mainline chapters first before I add something like this in the mix.

The next chapter however will not be about part 2 of this story arc.

It's that month again. I was thinking of writing a chapter about that event but there is just one problem...

There is no way I'm going to make it in time for the actual day.

I mean, I'll try my best still but yeah, I don't think I can make it.

If you guys are fine with it being a little late, that's what I planned to write next however if you say no, I have also drafted something else just in case. Let me know what you guys think in your reviews.

By the way, for those who are wondering if the ? in the interlude title is a typo or not. No, it's not an error, I put that in deliberately.

As always, if you ever have any suggestions on which Servant/s you want to be featured next, feel free to write them on your review, I'll be sure to take that into consideration for the coming chapters.

Now with that out of the way, time to get on to the reviews from the previous chapter.

IsekaiFanBoi: I figured that Artoria and Mordred's baggage is far too heavy to unload it all in one chapter. It's doable but it's probably going to be something like a 30k+ words chapter and I don't think I can do that in all honesty. As for Medea making figures of Artoria, I'm pretty sure it's canon or at least implied in FGO lore, according to her room dialogues.

dayandroz: You're very welcome.

adv: The wait is over my friend.

Guest: I've made you wait, I see. Here's a steaming hot one.

Child of Fate 9204: They will have their time soon. I just didn't want to star Shishou again because I've been using her so much in the past chapters already. Hahaha!

Soulbow109: Thank you for the positive response once again. I'll assume that the Morgan typo here meant Mordred. Actually, one of the reasons why I didn't want to end it in one sitting is because of the potential release of new characters. For all I know, JP might be getting Guinivere tomorrow or something so I really want to keep my options open when the time comes.

To everyone else who takes the time to read this fic, a huge thank you to all of you as well.

That's it for this chapter.

I hope we meet again in the next one or in another story of mine.

Reviews, follows and faves are all very much appreciated.

Until next time...

May everyone's good wishes and realities intersect.

Morii Hikikko