He had several interests that she knew of for sure. However, there wasn't anything suitable for her to give as a gift for his birthday. She couldn't really ask him either seeing as he'd likely say the thought was enough for him; he was annoying like that. However, without trying, she accidentally learned what she wanted as the topic came up of what his childhood was like.
"Oh, I always got up every Sunday morning to watch those action shows on TV! I never missed a single episode until they stopped making them 'cause… well… you know…"
The mumbo jumbo Tesla was spouting mostly went over Senti's head; she got the gist of it, of course, but did the red pipsqueak really need to use such big words?! The scientist and Mr Yang had made the overnight trip to Japan in one of Anti-Entropy's airships. She didn't even know how they managed to get one supplied with the equipment they needed so fast but then again, Yang is the leader. It would be something he was capable of doing.
In any case, from what few scans and tests they did in the last hour, Tesla was able to confirm some parts of Ritsuka's story. Namely, the fact that he went in and out of the Sea of Quanta without a scratch, and that he was not from their universe. How they confirmed the latter was beyond Senti… because she barely listened to Tesla's explanation.
Speaking of, when Ritsuka said it was a long story, he was putting it lightly, an understatement even. Unlike Senti who gave a very very brief summary of what happened between Fu Hua and his Previous Era self (can she call him that still?), Ritsuka did not skimp out on any of the details as he told his story. And boy, what a story it was. The whole tale of being a Master and contracting legendary and mythical heroes (and villains) as Servants, joining Chaldea and travelling through history to correct Singularities; all that jazz. If it weren't for the fact their life was just as extraordinary, she wouldn't have believed him. It was so long that they had only gotten up to the part where he was in 19th Century London before they turned in for the night. Then the next morning (in other words, a bit earlier), Fu Hua got a message from Yang that he and Tesla were on the way and to head to the nearest airport.
She was getting distracted; where was she? Oh right, Ritsuka coming from another universe. As he had explained the other day, he believed he was pulled into the Sea of Quanta from his universe and came out in another (i.e. theirs).
"A completely different universe…" hummed Fu Hua as she, Tesla, and Senti continued discussing outside the medical bay; Welt, meanwhile, was still inside with Ritsuka, saying he was curious and wanted to learn more about the latter's home dimension.
"Hmm… I can't help but wonder what could have brought him here…" Tesla hummed, a hint of frustration and curiosity on her face. "Has he told you two what led to him getting sent to the Sea of Quanta?"
"A routine investigation… or so he says," Senti answered with a look of doubt. It wasn't that she didn't believe Ritsuka, but rather the intentions of his superiors. "Give us a day or two and we'll be caught up. Maybe. I have no idea how long his full story is."
The researcher lets out another small hum before nodding in understanding. "I got it. But that leads us to our next mystery: how do we send him back? If we can even send him back in the first place. We can't exactly go into the Sea of Quanta hoping to find a way into his universe on blind faith alone."
"We'll have to consider our options together with Fujimaru. He should be in the room for any discussions regarding him," Fu Hua replied while glancing at the nearby door.
Tesla couldn't argue with that and simply nodded. That was everything she needed to say, so she motioned for them to follow her inside. "Welt, Fujimaru, you—"
"—inating. To be able to transform into a working smartphone with nearly no kibble."
"Tametomo really knew the way to my heart. It doesn't have the best specs but it's still— Oh, hey guys!" Ritsuka waved upon noticing them entering. "I was just showing Mr Yang some of the stuff I have from back home." As he said, Welt was holding a stylized smartphone and inspecting it with a discerning eye.
"I thought you were going to ask him about his world?" Senti could feel the eye roll Tesla was giving her not-husband for getting sidetracked just from her tone.
The Sovereign of Anti-Entropy could only let out a nervous cough before trying to defend himself. "I was… then we ended up talking about some….shared interests. As it turned out, Fujimaru-san also admires the art of tokusatsu and animation."
"Some things just transcend dimensional barriers," Ritsuka joked before glancing back at Welt. "And please, just call me Fujimaru. No need for all the "-san" business."
While Tesla scolded Welt for getting distracted, Senti could only focus on one thing— well, a couple of things. Firstly, a memory had flashed in her mind about the Previous Era's Ritsuka; the more she learned about this present one, the more she found him exactly the same as the one she knew. What were the chances that both of them liked those old action kid's shows?
Oh, and another thing: who the hell was this Tametomo person?!
After answering Senti's rather… aggressive inquiry of who Tametomo was, Ritsuka found himself under questioning again with Tesla. While the other three were nuanced about it (well… two of them were), the researcher was much more direct in asking him what she needed to know. Things like his age, his childhood, the origins of his scars, what sort of dangers he was usually exposed to, etc…
"About 19." "Grew up near Akihabara." "Uh… which one specifically?" "…A lot."
"I see…"Tesla simply hummed as she recorded his answers. While she did so, Ritsuka glanced around the examination room; Fu Hua was just standing next to the door watching, and listening to, the two of them while Welt and Senti were still preoccupied with Tameshomo.
After a moment, Ritsuka decided to ask her something that had been on his mind since he learned her name, "So… Tesla, right?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Frederica Nikola Tesla," she nodded, looking up from her notes. "And before you ask, yes, I'm a descendant of that Tesla."
"Oh, so he does exist here too." Then again, he had no reason to believe Tesla— the one he knew —didn't. He doesn't know enough about this universe's history yet.
It seemed that she also realised the intention behind his question if her next statement was any indication. "Fu Hua informed me of some things pertaining to you and what you do; travelling through time and summoning dead heroes as your… Servants, yes?"
"You know, a part of me is surprised that all of you believed me on that," he admitted with a tiny laugh.
"Well, everything else you've said so far lines up with what we tested for; as ludicrous as it sounds, we have no reason to believe you're lying," Tesla replied with a curt nod before glancing at Welt. "And it's also not the strangest thing I've heard. Even in this very room, we have someone capable of making black holes and creating anything that he can comprehend; reviving long-dead people is not too inconceivable."
"Oh… What?" Ritsuka glanced at Welt, shocked, earning a chuckle from Tesla at his reaction.
"He might show you later if you ask. I reckon you're already on his good side." She could only shake her head, both in exasperation and amusement at Welt's continued interest in Tameshomo. "Back to what I was saying, I am curious how you accomplished something like that but I think it will have to be for another time. There's something more important I'd like to ask."
"Shoot."
"Do you have any ideas as to what might have sent you into the Sea of Quanta and ending up in our universe?" Tesla asked with a more serious look.
At her question, Ritsuka thought back to the moment he fell into the void between universes. "Hmm… Well, we just finished investigating a Singularity— basically holes in the timeline that we at Chaldea have to fix most of the time. We were just about to head back when a bright light flashed before my eyes and I suddenly found myself falling in the Sea of Quanta as you guys call it. That's all I could remember."
A contemplative look replaced the serious one as Tesla ruminated on what he said. After a moment, she voiced her thoughts. "Well, we can't say with a hundred percent certainty that you didn't just stumble into the Sea of Quanta; we still have no idea of all the possible ways into it. Perhaps your methods of time-travelling could shed some light on that."
Thinking about it now, Ritsuka did wonder what would have happened if SHEBA failed to verify his existence whenever he rayshifts… "It's… a bit complicated… To be honest, I don't really understand anything beyond the basics and, while I did ask, the explanation given was…..well….I do have an idea what might have gotten me booted from my universe though." He proceeded to give her the gist of rayshifting and how Chaldea needed to confirm his existence. "Da Vinci once told me it's essentially Schrodinger's cat; keeping an eye to make sure I'm there in the past."
He probably didn't explain that well but Tesla seemed to understand what he was saying… somehow… Either way, she wandered off to check something on the computer, leaving Ritsuka sitting on the infirmary bed. He briefly considered checking up on Welt and Senti but decided against it and instead waved to Fu Hua to get her attention and asked to talk to her. She was hesitant at first but eventually came to settle by his side.
"So… what's your take on all this?" Ritsuka asked with curiosity in his voice. "You've been pretty quiet while we're here"
"You've taken all of this in stride," she finally responded after pondering her words for a few seconds. "Getting stranded alone in another universe, surrounded by strangers without any answers…"
Ritsuka let her words settle in before jokingly responding, "That happens to me every couple of weeks. It's not surprising anymore to be honest."
His carefree reply somehow elicited a small laugh from Fu Hua. She was clearly not the type to do so regularly which made him smile a little. "That's not really a good thing to say if you ask me. It sounds like you'll never get the chance to rest."
"It's tiring but I do get some time to myself," he replied with a tired shrug. "It's never a dull day back home but I don't really mind. As much as I missed a normal life, I'm always surrounded by people who care about me and that's more than worth it. I'm confident that they'll find a way to reach me and bring me home.
"Is that so… I suppose that's not too bad when you put it like that." A tiny smile appeared on Fu Hua's face at that.
"And besides, it's not that bad here either. I lucked out and met you, didn't I?" Ritsuka beamed at her, his gratitude clear in his smile. She flinched slightly at Ritsuka's appreciation and he was sure there was a tiny hint of red in her cheeks. "I could have landed god knows where while being chased by those shadows for who knows how long, but I still met you, and you've helped me since. I promise to make it up to you somehow, someday."
Fu Hua stuttered while waving her hand. "Tha—that's really not needed, Fujimaru, I—"
"Ritsuka." He said as his smile grew brighter. "No matter what, I consider you a friend now, and I'm glad that our paths have crossed."
"…You're too nice for your own good," she sighed but couldn't hide the smile anymore.
"I get that a lot," he laughed in response when suddenly— "What are you guys laughing about?" —Senti slid in with a smile of her own. Welt and Tesla joined them soon after, the former returning Tametomo's gift to Ritsuka and thanking him for letting him play with it. Tesla then announced that it was time to discuss their next step regarding their dimensionally displaced friend…
A/N: I have an editor now. Yay! Say thanks to Attagon for increasing the quality and adding more legitimacy to this work~
Ritsuka is easing into new company and Senti is a little jealous about a couple of things. A little moment between Ritsuka and Hua too cause I need to a little fix for my new addiction. He and Welt are also bonding fast cause come on, why wouldn't they? Anyway, see you all next time!