"I think Master will definitely come in an aloha shirt. The color is cool and perfect for the blue Caribbean Sea."
"Hmm, I think I'll be wearing last year's scout uniform."
"Haha, you two are so sweet. The only choice for Chan-Mas' uniform is Brilliant Summer! In other words, I think he'll be wearing swim trunks!"
"All of the outfits suit you. I can't wait to see master in his outfit. Right, Rengoku?"
"Yes, yes, that's right. I'm looking forward to see Master."
In the control room of Noum Chaldea, the group was waiting in a friendly atmosphere for their Master to arrive before leaving for the Caribbean Sea, which had turned into a singularity. The briefing had already ended, and preparations for the Rayshift had begun. All that remained was to wait for the Master to arrive. Everyone had changed into their own Swimsuit Spirit Origin costumes, and they couldn't wait for the adventure to begin.
A little distance away from them stood Artoria Caster, a fairy with twin strands of golden hair. She was wearing the costume she had worn in Fairyland that Miss Crane had tailored for her: a white and beige hat, gloves, sleeveless jacket, and boots.
A short distance away, Goldolf Musik was packing his rucksack. He was now dressed like a Boy Scout leader. As the warden, he would be accompanying the Rayshift and taking command on the ground.
"Hmm, even so, isn't Fujimaru a little late?"
Suddenly, Goldolf stopped preparing his luggage and looked up at Da Vinci beside him. Da Vinci, who had already changed into his swimsuit spirit core, was checking her own equipment. The girl tilted her head and answered Goldolf.
"Shion contacted me earlier and said she was adjusting her formal attire. Ritsuka-kun should be here soon."
After hearing the details from Da Vinci, Goldolf nodded magnanimously and said, "Oh well, I guess that can't be helped," before returning to checking his belongings. Artoria, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation, sighed secretly.
Ritsuka will arrive soon and we will depart.
Surrounded by colorful and beautiful people, your journey to the singularity begins.
She, who doesn't have a shred of sparkle in her eyes, will end up blending in with those people. With people who shine much brighter than she does, and with people who look better by Ritsuka's side than she does. Artoria glances over at the Servants in their swimsuits.
Da Vinci looked like an adventurer, both adorable and dignified. Next to her stood Mash, dressed in a pretty and stylish outfit. Nearby were the Greek hero Achilles and the legendary hero Mandricardo of Charlemagne, both wearing functional and refreshing outfits, and the great pirate Edward Teach, clad in a splendid white jacket.
The other women were also truly dazzling.
Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova's pure white outfit, Charlotte Corday's refreshing outfit, Sei Shonagon's lively appearance, and Okita Souji Alter's pure cuteness—all of these were completely unrelated to her. Artoria's eyes clouded. And Ritsuka loves those girls equally.
No one thought that way, and if Ritsuka asked, he would say that it wasn't true.
However, having only recently come to Chaldea and having yet to play a significant role, Artoria found herself dwelling deeper and deeper within herself.
Little by little, without realizing it, the child of prophecy had drifted further and further away from the group. It looked as if, if she continued like this, she might run away without even realizing it.
Although the people in the control room had noticed Artoria's behavior and were trying to speak to her, they exchanged glances and decided to wait a little longer for Ritsuka to join youngest castoria with them.
Everyone felt that they were not yet capable of sharing their feelings with the fairy of Paradise. Superficial words would not reach her innermost thoughts. Everyone knew that the sad and tragic memories of Fairyland were a barrier between them. That was how harsh and cruel the Lostbelt, the Fairyland of Britain, was. Now, everyone was waiting for the arrival of the person who could best connect with Artoria. And a few minutes later, the person they were waiting for finally appeared.
"Sorry I'm late! Let's get going!"
The voice of Chaldea's Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka, echoed through the control room.
Everyone there was relieved at the long-awaited arrival of the one they had been waiting for and all turned their eyes to him, except for the Child of Prophecy, who was unable to look up.
The thought that Ritsuka would be wearing a swimsuit, making her feel even more left out, weighed heavily on the girl's mind.
"I've been waiting for you, Ritsuka-kun Oh, that's..."
Da Vinci's voice sounded a little confused. Wondering what was wrong, Artoria turned to Ritsuka and her eyes widened. Contrary to everyone's expectations, he had appeared wearing the Chaldea polar uniform.
"Ritsuka-kun, it's a summer singularity, so is it okay to wear your usual uniform?"
"Yes, this time it doesn't look like we'll be on the beach or at a resort, so I chose clothes that are easy to move in. These are the best for an unknown adventure."
Ritsuka answered Da Vinci with a smile before turning to Artoria.
"Artoria, your outfit is perfect for adventure. I think that outfit suits you really well."
"Oh, uh, thank you... Thank you! It suits you too, Ritsuka!"
The fairy, suddenly spoken to, rolled her eyes, and while stammering, bowed deeply.
It Was Viy and Anastasia who send message to Ritsuka about situation of Artoria caster and he understood. Then he came in usual uniform for her.
"Alright, now that Ritsuka's here, let's get going!"
Following Da Vinci's orders, everyone quickly set off to prepare for the Rayshift. A little behind them, the foreign magician and the paradise fairy walked slowly side by side.
"Ummm... Ritsuka, well... maybe... you could... tell me."
Having said that, the fairy shut her mouth.
'Did you make that spiritual outfit to match my outfit?'
The girl wanted to ask.
She wanted Ritsuka to answer yes.
However, if it turned out to be wrong, the girl feared she would never recover, so she didn't open her mouth.
"...This reminds me of the scenery in Britain."
Glancing at the girl who was staring at the floor, Ritsuka spoke in a nostalgic tone. When Artoria raised her head at his words, she saw Ritsuka's calm expression.
"Britain, an ideal world loved by wind, earth, life, poetry, and rain, an island of twilight where many fairies live... When I stand next to you in that state, I can remember those times."
"Huh," Artoria sighed and gave Ritsuka a longing look. He was humming the poem that Artoria had recited in Britain.
"Ritsuka... that poem... did you remember it?"
"Of course. Artoria recited it for me so many times."
"It's a beautiful poem," Ritsuka said, smiling gently at Artoria. "Thanks to you, Artoria, for coming here in a matching spiritual outfit with me from Britain, I was able to recall some lovely memories. Thank you so much. Also, since everyone else was wearing swimsuits, I'm the only one who didn't stand out, so I have to be grateful to you."
The moment she heard that, the fairy of Paradise looked down with tears in her eyes. Even with her faded fairy eyes, or even without them, she could tell. This person is truly grateful to her. Even though I'm the one who should be saying thank you. He came here in this outfit for me. Instead of saying "for me," Ritsuka said it was all thanks to me. He cares about me, even though I keep my distance from everyone over trivial things.
"...Excuse me, Ritsuka, may I... excuse myself for a moment?"
Artoria asked Ritsuka with determination.
"Yes. Have a nice trip."
As if reading Artoria's mind, Ritsuka nodded with a smile. The fairy then raised her head and hurried off to her friends.
"Everyone!"
As Artoria called out, the people who had been preparing stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. For a moment, the fairy flinched at the sight of everyone's gazes, but she continued without changing her mind.
"I'm sorry for my rude attitude earlier! I know it might be a bother, but I'll try my best not to hold you back! I look forward to working with you this time!"
Artoria bowed her head to apologize. It didn't matter if they scolded her, she thought. For the sake of Chaldea, for Ritsuka, she had to overcome the walls she had created and face her companions head-on.
"Hey, Blackbeard, were we rude to Artoria?"
"No? If anything, we were the ones who were so bad at communicating that we were rude to Caster-chan."
"That's certainly true. I'm sorry I couldn't speak to you, Artoria."
"I'm sorry I was engrossed in our conversation too. Thank you, Artoria."
Hearing their voices, Artoria slowly raised her head. Achilles and Teach tilted their heads to one another with dumb looks on their faces, while Anastasia and Charlotte clasped their hands together in apology. Artoria had expected them to be indignant, but she could only blink at the unexpected reaction. Furthermore, Sei Shonagon and Mandricardo walked up to Artoria.
"Hey, hey, don't just stand there together! Let's have fun and get along as we head to the singularity!"
"I'm not being rude at all. Give up the shade to me and go into the sun."
A little later, Okita Alter and Mash each took the fairy's hands and smiled.
"I'm happy to be able to go on an adventure with you, Artoria. I'm very happy."
"Please look up. Come on, let's go, Artoria."
They were filled with kind smiles and consideration for Artoria. Their thoughtfulness made Artoria so happy that she shed a tear and smiled.
"Everyone... thank you, thank you. Once again, I look forward to working with you."
Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief at the mood of the Servants, who had somehow managed to resolve the situation. Sensing someone's gaze, he turned to see Da Vinci smiling and waving slightly. He waved back slightly and this time he was ready to begin preparing for the Rayshift. However, the preparations were already almost complete, and Shion, who had arrived late, had finished her confirmation work without a hitch. And so, it was finally time for the Rayshift, and Ritsuka and Artoria stood in front of the coffin that would be used for the expanded Rayshift.
"As I explained before, we've made some improvements to the coffin so that two people can fit in it at the same time. It's a little cramped, but please bear with that."
"The coffin will recognize the two of you as one entity, and you will be able to Rayshift. This is extremely irregular, but the results of the simulations and tests have been excellent, so I don't think there will be any problems."
Da Vinci and Shion smiled and explained about the coffin. Ritsuka and Artoria, who had heard the explanation beforehand, nodded in agreement at the same time, though they were a little nervous. Ritsuka then entered the coffin first, then turned around and held out his right palm to Artoria.
"Give me your hand, Avalon le Fay."
Hearing this, the girl quickly blushed. Then she looked into the boy's eyes as if to say,
"You had your lines prepared, didn't you?" Meanwhile, Ritsuka was laughing like a child, thinking he'd been found out.
The boy's behavior was somehow endearing, so Artoria joined in, laughing as she gently took his hand.
"Yes... I am grateful for your hand, foreign mage."
Thus, the Rayshift began without a hitch, and the Chaldea party set foot into the Caribbean Sea, which had become a singularity.
Meanwhile, on a Caribbean island that had turned into a singularity, two figures were looking out over a gigantic factory—a mechanized factory with a precision that would have been impossible to find in the 18th century Caribbean, and difficult to see even in the 21st century.
"Hmm... Hehehehe..."
Of the two shadows, the smaller one let out a chuckle as it faced this bizarre scene. It still retained a hint of childish innocence, but it was a laugh colored by schemes and obsession.
"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."
Another large shadow, with a well-proportioned and impressive physique, also emitted laughter. It was a frightening yet pleasant melody, and the voice resonated well. There was unconcealable malice in the laughter, but it also sounded somewhat empty.
And then, the laughter faded away, and only the sound of the machine starting up dominated the space. Perhaps feeling an indescribable discomfort, the small shadow looked up at the large shadow with a puzzled expression.
"...Let's talk."
"Yes?"
When asked, the large shadow placed his right hand on the left side of his chest and tilted his head exaggeratedly. The small shadow's brow furrowed in response to the theatrical gesture.
"That's right. You're an adjutant and a military strategist, so you should be of some use," he said with a hint of exasperation, and the large shadow snorted.
"Well, even if you say so. I certainly would be suited to the role of adjutant or military strategist, but I am more of a ruthless and serious Servant. If I were to ever try to make it a comedy, the whole world would turn upside down!"
"No, I think it'll be fine, so don't worry. By the way, is that soldier finished?"
The small shadow flatly denied the large man's claim and asked.
"Of course! Look at this majestic and courageous creature! It's an earth-shattering sight!" The large shadow pointed to the warehouse, and the door opened, revealing a large number of strong men. The small shadow exclaimed in admiration.
"Hmmmm! I want to be a pirate! Yes please!!"
The small shadow was indignant at the sudden strange shouts from the strong men, saying that their language functions were bugged. The large shadow gave a wry smile and took out a small device from his pocket.
"Excuse me. Then let me... play around here like this..."
"Ha ha! Ha ha! Ha ha!"
"How about this one?"
The small shadow crossed his arms and groaned a little as he heard the men's corrected voices.
"Hmmm... yeah, this will do. Now, mass-produced Columbus, let's march out!"
When the small shadow gave a command, the door leading to the outside was opened, and a large group of men, who seemed to be modeled after Rider's servant, Christopher Columbus, were let out into the Caribbean Sea, yelling,
"Haha!"