After the whole mess with Cú Chulainn getting wrecked by Scáthach, Ash figured he had earned himself a peaceful moment to relax. However, Chaldea never let him rest for long.

As he walked through one of Chaldea's many corridors with Pikachu perched on his shoulder, a familiar yet different presence made itself known.

"Ah~ there you are, little Master!"

Ash barely had time to turn before someone suddenly draped themselves over his shoulder.

"P-Pika?!" Pikachu squeaked in surprise.

Ash tensed. The voice was familiar, but something was... off. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder and came face-to-face with a very different Musashi.

Her hair was still the same shade of soft pink, and her playful eyes gleamed with the same liveliness—but her outfit and aura were completely different.

Instead of the samurai armor she had worn before, this Musashi was dressed in a swimsuit inspired by the American frontier. She wore a loose blue and white top that left her toned stomach exposed, along with a pair of denim shorts and a red sash tied around her waist. A cowboy hat sat atop her head, tilted just slightly, and she carried a long, uniquely shaped katana strapped to her side.

And then, there was her name.

"Musashi...?" Ash repeated, blinking in confusion.

The woman let out a carefree laugh and spun around, throwing him a playful wink. "Not quite. I'm actually Miyamoto Iori, a wandering swordswoman of the American frontier! A pleasure to meet you, lil' Master~!"

Ash nearly stumbled. "Wait, wait, hold on! You—" He pointed at her. "You're Musashi! You can't fool me!"

"Mmm, sorry, don't know her," Iori replied, grinning mischievously.

Ash deadpanned. "You literally look just like her!"

"Do I?" she hummed, tilting her head. "Well, even if I do, I'm still Miyamoto Iori—not whoever this Musashi is!"

Pikachu, just as confused as Ash, narrowed his eyes. "Pika-pi?"

Iori giggled at their lost expressions. "You're such an adorable little Master, y'know that?" She reached over and ruffled Ash's hair, much to his embarrassment.

Ash swatted her hand away, cheeks slightly red. "Oi! Quit treating me like a kid!"

"But you are a kid~," she teased. "A cute one at that!"

Ash groaned while Pikachu snickered on his shoulder. Why is it that every strong female Servant either teases me or treats me like a little brother?

Still, something about this was weird. This woman was definitely Musashi… but at the same time, she wasn't.

Ash exhaled. "Okay, okay, let's slow down. You say you're not Musashi, but you look just like her. What's going on? Some weird alternate version of her or something?"

Iori tapped her chin playfully. "Hmm~? Maybe~? Maybe I'm her from another world, or maybe she's just someone I happen to resemble! Fate works in mysterious ways, lil' Master."

Ash rubbed his temples. This was going to give him a headache.

"Alright, fine. You're Miyamoto Iori, and you're not the Musashi I met before. Got it."

Iori grinned. "Good boy~."

Ash twitched. "Don't say it like that!"

She simply laughed and threw an arm around his shoulder again, pulling him close like they were drinking buddies. "Well, since we've gotten past that little mix-up, how about you and I hit up the cafeteria? I could really go for a big meal!"

Ash blinked. "Wait, what?"

"You're buying, of course~," she added.

Ash gawked at her. "Why am I the one paying?!"

"Because I'm a wandering swordswoman, of course!" Iori beamed. "It's a Master's duty to take care of their Servants, right?"

Ash groaned, already regretting this. But before he could argue, Iori tugged him along with surprising strength.

"C'mon, c'mon! Let's go eat!"

Moments later...

Ash sighed as he found himself being dragged into Chaldea's cafeteria, Pikachu clinging onto his shoulder to avoid being tossed around.

"Whoa there, lil' Master, don't look so grumpy!" Miyamoto Iori chirped, flashing a playful grin. "Food always tastes better when you eat with good company, y'know?"

Ash crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, I wasn't exactly planning on getting kidnapped for a lunch date."

Iori giggled. "Oh? Are you saying you wouldn't want to have lunch with a beautiful swordswoman like me?"

Ash groaned. Again...Why does every Servant here either tease me or try to drag me into something crazy?!

As they sat down at a table, Ash finally got a look at what Iori had ordered. His eyes twitched.

Dangos. Lots and lots of dangos.

The tray was practically overflowing with skewers of the sweet rice dumplings, all lined up neatly. It was enough to feed an entire squad of Servants, yet Iori looked completely unbothered as she casually picked up a stick and popped one into her mouth.

Ash and Pikachu stared.

"…You sure you're not Musashi?" Ash deadpanned.

Iori paused mid-bite, looking at him innocently. "Hmmm?"

"You're eating the same exact thing that Musashi loves."

"I just happen to love dangos, that's all~!" Iori waved off his suspicion, munching happily.

Ash narrowed his eyes. "Riiiiiight. And it's just a coincidence that you look like her too?"

"Exactly!" she said cheerfully before flashing a playful wink. "Maybe you're just overthinking things, lil' Master."

Ash groaned.

Pikachu, meanwhile, stared at Iori with an expression that basically said: We're not buying it, lady.

Regardless, Iori continued eating, happily humming to herself. Then, after finishing a few more dangos, she leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand, eyeing Ash with a sly smile.

"But y'know," she mused, "whether I'm this 'Musashi' person or not, I do think you're an interesting little Master."

Ash blinked. "Huh? Why?"

Iori chuckled. "You're just so… earnest." She lazily pointed a skewer at him. "Most Masters I've met are either full of themselves or scared out of their minds. But you? You just roll with everything, even when you don't understand it."

Ash scratched his cheek. "I mean… I guess I kinda have to? That's just how things work for me."

Pikachu nodded in agreement. "Pika."

Iori grinned. "I like that about you, kid. You remind me of someone…"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Iori just smirked. "Heh. Guess you'll just have to figure that out on your own~."

Ash sighed. "Great. Another mystery."

Pikachu let out a tiny sigh as well. This place is full of weirdos…