As he lay there, a broken Kousei wondered just what led to him laying in a pool of his blood… Okay, maybe he was exaggerating a little but it still hurts! "Boy, is that all you have?" The woman with sharp red eyes with an even sharper spear questioned him as she stood over the battered Kousei.

"If I say yes, can we stop?" He replied with a small groan. "I can heal fast but that doesn't mean I can't feel pain or get tired." At least Scathach had the decency to let him change into something else so that his clothes remained unscathed.

"Hmph, you're just as much a talker as your father," the Lancer scoffed but had the tiniest hint of a smile on her face. "But you may rest easy. I believe I've gotten a good assessment of your abilities… for now." That last part made Kousei shiver; he admittedly did not try to use much of what his mother taught him and it was clear Scathach knew that. "As much as I would like to continue testing you, keeping you any longer would just earn me the ire of the other Servants. I'm sure they would like to know more about you and what your father has been up to."

Kousei could feel his exhaustion multiply just thinking about it. Either way, he got out of the pool and stumbled his way out of the training room… where he immediately ran into another of his father's Servants. "Oh, you're…"

"Roland, at your service, Master's scion!" The blonde Saber grinned as he introduced himself, grabbing his hand and shaking it vigorously too. "Now then, my liege wishes to speak to you so—!"

"Wha—Wait!" His pleas went ignored as Kousei found himself getting pulled by the Servant towards an unknown destination…

While Kousei was busy getting dragged all over the base, Mash found herself returning to the place that started it all. Everyone else had already left for the day so she was alone with her thoughts. She stood in front of the window, staring at where she had hoped Ritsuka would have appeared earlier. "Were you ever angry at us, Senpai…?" She could not help but wonder.

Kousei had said his father missed them and knew they'd stop at nothing to find him… but she couldn't help but feel like they failed him. Did he give up hope for even a moment? After all… he did build a new life for himself there.

"I knew you'd be here." Mash turned to see Da Vinci entering the room. "I'd ask if you're okay but I think that would be stupid to ask," she tried to joke.

"…Da Vinci, was there something else we could have done?" She asked, staring down at the console.

"We did the best we could and he'll understand that. It's not like him to hold a grudge anyway," the Rider assured her, taking and squeezing her hand. "And judging by how Kousei treats us, I say Ritsuka still cherishes the memory of his time with us."

Mash couldn't disagree with that. Never once did Kousei give the impression he held disdain for Chaldea; he revered and was in awe of them thanks to what Ritsuka told them.

"So what do we do now?" They could not just try again and bring Ritsuka back—not when he had a life there. They still did not know how to reverse it and send Kousei back yet.

"Right now, it's better we rest our brains. We've basically been running on fumes for the last few weeks. Once we're all rested and full of energy, I'm sure we can figure something out," Da Vinci optimistically cheered.

"...Yeah, a good night's sleep would help." With all the excitement from earlier dying down, she was feeling the exhaustion. Now just to head back to her roo—

"NEVER! I AM NOT PLAYING DRESS UP AGAIN!"

"Oh come on! Your dad liked it! I just want to see how you'd look in my clothes!"

The two shouts and swift footsteps from the hallway outside could not have come at a worse time… At least it didn't sound that tiring to deal with.

Of all the things Griseo thought she'd end the day with, investigating the spot where her dear nephew disappeared from in the middle of school was not one of them. She naturally dropped what she was doing and came rushing in to help when Theresa called, but quickly learned that there was little that could be done. For the last half hour, they were investigating the specific corridor Kousei vanished in.

There was no vent or window within the eight-foot gap between cameras so for all they knew, he really did vanish into thin air. "I've lost count of how many times I've gone through this hallway tonight…" Griseo muttered to herself.

She didn't want to give up hope, but there didn't seem to be anything else they could do.

"Why don't we take a break?" Theresa suggested, having come to the same conclusion Griseo did. "You've not eaten dinner yet, right Hikari? It's better you fill your stomach before we resume our investigation."

Having helped change her diapers when she was younger, Griseo knew how Hikari would act. The look in her eye told the artist she was holding back the urge to argue; Hikari ironically took more after Hua and was driven more by reason than emotions. "...Alright, let's get something to eat," she let out a defeated sigh.

When she got like this, there was one surefire way to cheer her up. "My place then? I'll open up Ritsuka's cookbook," Griseo offered. The ever-slight hint of a smile broke through Hikari's voice at the prospect.

Theresa, on the other hand, groaned. "Just not the curry; I wasn't able to taste anything for a week after the last time…"

A/N: I only realize now that I neglected to add this chapter to FFN. Sorry about that. In any case, Kousei is now getting tortured by everyone, Mash is angsty, and Griseo is trying to be the best aunt she can be. Other than that, nothing else to say so see y'all next time~