Several months had passed-it was almost spring. Ritsuka began to question her intuition. The unusual disturbances had been so intense back then, and yet the other party had remained completely inactive for months. Had they fallen asleep?
Well, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. It gave her time to finally finish FSN. Thinking of her half-finished draft for the XXX arc, Ritsuka couldn't help but sigh.
"No wonder Shakespeare and Andersen hate the XXX arc drafts so much..."
And what about Military Uniform Princess, who was supposed to have started her plan long ago? What was she up to now?
In a small, dimly lit room, a silver-haired girl dressed comfortably, her hair tied into twin tails, sat seriously engrossed in a book. Her military uniform lay neatly folded on the sofa beside her.
"Ahhh! Archer is actually Shirou from the future?! This battle scene is on fire! The Creator's imagination is incredible!" Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the manga in her hands - FATE/stay night.
Beside her, a stack of books lay on the floor - the complete FATE/zero series and all currently released volumes of FATE/stay night.
(You're totally breaking character, Miss Military Uniform! If the Creator sees this, they'll cry!)
Military Uniform Princess - Altair, fully immersed.
--- I Am the Divider of Spring ---
"It's time... Time to begin my plan!"
Military Uniform Princess stood atop a high-rise building. Forty-eight combat knives circled around her. She squinted her eyes, her tone filled with irrepressible excitement.
So this is why you waited until FSN ended to take action?
"My first target will be Elemental Symphony of Vogelchevalier!"
With those words, Military Uniform Princess vanished in a ripple of distortion.
Not long after she left, the rooftop welcomed another visitor.
A white-haired man in a dark blue coat stood expressionless, staring at the spot where Military Uniform Princess had just been. Then, in a flash, he too disappeared.
The rooftop fell silent again.
Back at Ritsuka's Home
Miss Fujimaru had finally finished drawing FSN. All she wanted now was to lie in bed and be a lazy, rotten sloth. But some things in life didn't wait for you to come to them-they found you first.
"That anomaly has begun to act," a deep voice rang out as a ripple of distortion appeared beside her bed. A white-haired man in a dark blue coat materialized before her, speaking in a calm, unaffected tone, as though he were saying something entirely mundane.
"Really now... So she's finally made her move. You've worked hard, Edmond."
Ritsuka wasn't at all surprised by the man's sudden appearance. In fact, she pouted playfully, "Could you grab me a cup of coffee? Pretty please?"
Monte Cristo sighed, resigned, and turned to prepare coffee for his Master.
"Heh... It's finally begun. Looks like you have a wish you want fulfilled. Then let me see-will your wish lead to hope, or to despair?"
Ritsuka smiled, like a final boss in an anime who hadn't made many public appearances.
"Waiting, and maybe... secretly hoping."
Monte Cristo returned with the coffee. "Hey, stop borrowing other people's lines for dramatic effect."
Why Monte Cristo Instead of the Hassans?
Because the Hassans all look way too suspicious-no way Ritsuka could send them out to do grocery runs!
(Zabaniya: ???)
Taking the coffee from Monte Cristo, Ritsuka took a sip.
"I always thought the only way to change the world was through manga... I didn't expect to stumble into something this fun."
"Let's see what you're capable of. If you impress me, I might even grant your wish," the Grand Master's words faded into the air like a whisper.
If Military Uniform Princess had heard them, how would she have reacted?
"Edmond, could you grab me AVALKEN of Reminisce?"
"Get it yourself!"
--- I Am the Divider Where the Plot Begins ---
Mizushino Souta returned home.
"I'm back."
"Welcome home."
Back in his room, he saw two beautiful girls-one with red hair, the other with white-sitting inside. Souta sighed.
Why was this happening?
He was just a normal high school student!
Two days ago, while watching the latest episode of Elemental Symphony of Vogelchevalier, Souta had noticed something off. The animation didn't feel like a typical script anymore. Suddenly, his tablet fell from his hands-and sucked him into another world.
There, the protagonist, Selesia Upitiria, was fighting an unexpected intruder: Military Uniform Princess.
In the end, Souta brought Selesia back with him to the real world.
Even after returning, Military Uniform Princess hadn't let them go. She pursued them-only to be repelled by another girl with short white hair, wearing a mage's robe.
Souta recognized her. She was the wise NPC from the RPG AVALKEN of Reminisce - Meteora Österreich.
And so, after a series of strange events, the two fictional girls ended up temporarily living in his home.
Tomorrow, they planned to visit Selesia's Creator - Takashi Matsubara, author of Elemental Symphony of Vogelchevalier.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Military Uniform Princess had begun summoning more characters-creations from other 2D worlds.
The Wheel of Fate had found its missing parts... and began to turn once more.
But would the mechanic allow it to spin as intended? That's doubtful, don't you think?