"Yes, that's right! His name is Kiritsugu Emiya!" Rikka exclaimed cheerfully, repeating the name without suspicion.
But a second later, her smile froze.
"Huh?"
Rikka blinked in confusion. Only then did she realize that the voice from earlier wasn't hers, nor Olga's, nor Mash's.
It had come from behind her back.
She was about to turn around to confirm it, but the Assassin moved far faster than a blink.
Hearing his true name spoken by a stranger, the instincts of the "Magus Killer" immediately took over. Without warning, the red-hooded figure spun around a full 180 degrees.
His right arm snapped up straight, the muzzle of the Calico pistol in his hand already aimed directly at the figure standing in the darkness of the alley behind Rikka.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG!
Two deafening gunshots rang out instantly, shattering the silence of the alley. The bullets streaked toward the figure who had just stepped closer.
Without wasting even a second, already knowing his shots had failed, the Assassin immediately changed tactics. The pistol in his right hand was holstered in a flash, replaced by a coldly gleaming tactical combat knife.
He lunged forward, dashing past Rikka, who was still frozen in fear, directly targeting the primary threat ahead of him.
The figure in the darkness stepped forward.
Magic Circuits across Ritsuka's entire body flared brightly, pumping prana into his muscles to reinforce his physical strength. He burst out of the alley's shadows, meeting the Assassin's charge without fear.
TRANG!
The clash happened in an instant.
The Assassin's blade slashed viciously, aiming for the vital point at Ritsuka's head with lethal precision. But before the cold metal could touch skin, the attack was stopped abruptly.
Ritsuka caught it.
Both of Ritsuka's hands clamped firmly around the Assassin's wrist, locking his movement inches from Ritsuka's face. The pressure from the collision blasted dust outward around their feet.
"Well, well… going straight for violence, huh?"
Their breaths collided at point-blank range. Ritsuka grinned casually, staring straight into the empty eyes hidden beneath the Assassin's hood.
"Good thing my reflexes were sharp enough to avoid your shots earlier," Ritsuka mocked, showing no fear at all despite the knife being only centimeters from his eyes.
The Assassin's shock was obvious. It was rare for a human to stop a Servant's attack head-on.
Suddenly, without warning, Ritsuka released his grip and leapt sideways in an acrobatic motion. He moved as if he had already read the script of the future, knowing exactly what the Servant would do next.
And his prediction was correct.
DOR!
At the exact moment Ritsuka evaded, the Assassin's left hand—previously hidden—had already drawn a pistol and fired at the vital point where Ritsuka's heart had been half a second earlier.
The bullet tore through empty air and struck the asphalt.
The eyes beneath the red hood widened in genuine shock. The fact that this young man had predicted him perfectly was an anomaly.
The Assassin didn't hesitate. His pistol's muzzle shifted immediately, aiming at Ritsuka, who had landed in a crouch atop the alley wall, perched like a feral cat.
His finger rested on the trigger, ready to blow the young man's head off.
"WAIT! STOP, ASSASSIN!!"
Rikka's scream shattered the tension. She ran toward them with all her strength, Mash and Olga following behind her.
"DON'T ATTACK HIM! HE'S MY BROTHER!" Rikka shrieked hysterically, spreading her arms wide as if to separate them from afar.
Hearing the absolute command from his Master, the Assassin's body froze instantly.
The dense killing intent vanished in an instant. With a practical motion, the pistol and knife in his hands dissolved into blue particles of light. He returned to standing upright, silent as a statue.
Seeing that the threat was gone, Ritsuka let out a relieved breath. He jumped down from the wall, landing silently and smoothly. He stood there, looking at Rikka as she ran toward him, her expression a mix of emotions.
"Big Brother! You're back!"
Rikka shouted happily. She sprinted forward, spreading her arms wide, ready to crash into her brother with a warm embrace.
Ritsuka saw her. The corner of his lips lifted into a faint smile—relief at seeing his sister safe.
But the smile lasted only a fraction of a second.
In an instant, his expression changed drastically. His gaze turned dark and sharp. But Rikka, too happy to notice, was completely unaware of the shift in her brother's aura.
PLUK.
Rikka's body collided with Ritsuka's chest. She hugged him tightly, burying her face against him affectionately.
"Big Brother… thank goodness you're okay," Rikka murmured in relief.
But there was no return hug. Ritsuka's arms remained still at his sides. Then, a cold voice slipped from his lips.
"Rikka. Answer my question."
Rikka flinched slightly, but she didn't release her grip.
"Did you perform that Servant summoning?" Ritsuka asked flatly, his tone heavy with intimidating emphasis.
Behind them, Mash stiffened the moment she saw Ritsuka's expression. Goosebumps ran down her spine.
"Senpai…?" Mash whispered anxiously.
Olga Marie, with her sharper survival instincts, felt an overwhelming sense of danger. Her face went pale. Silently, the Director slowly stepped back, hiding behind Mash's back.
Rikka, still innocent and unaware of the danger, lifted her head and looked at Ritsuka with proud, sparkling eyes.
"Yes! I did it! The Director gave me permission, and I succeeded! Amazing, right? Now I can help you figh—"
The enthusiastic sentence never finished.
The moment Rikka's eyes met Ritsuka's, she saw a face like a demon holding back rage. Her smile vanished instantly.
"B-Big Brother…?"
Without warning, Ritsuka's hand moved.
NYUT!
"OW, OW, OW! THAT HURTS, BIG BROTHER!"
Ritsuka twisted Rikka's ear firmly, pulling hard enough that she rose onto her tiptoes in pain.
"YOU IDIOT LITTLE SISTER!" Ritsuka shouted, his voice echoing through the narrow alley.
"Am I angry?! Of course I'm angry!"
He tightened his grip, forcing Rikka even higher onto her toes.
"Did you forget how dangerous a summoning ritual is?! You're incredibly lucky that the one who came was an Assassin with common sense! Just imagine if a Berserker-class Servant had been summoned!"
Ritsuka's voice trembled as he recalled the worst-case scenarios he'd seen so often at Chaldea.
"With your underdeveloped Magic Circuits, you could have died instantly from having all your Mana drained! Or worse… you could've been torn apart before you even finished chanting a Command Spell! You'd be lucky if your body was still intact when I found you!"
Rikka winced, tears welling at the corners of her eyes from both pain and guilt.
"Au… au… yeah, Big Brother… I'm sorry…" Rikka whimpered hoarsely. "I… I just wanted to help you…"
Hearing his sister's voice start to crack, Ritsuka's anger slowly ebbed away, replaced by overwhelming exhaustion.
He let out a long breath and slowly released her ear.
Rikka quickly rubbed her red, burning ear and bowed her head fearfully, bracing for more scolding.
Instead, she felt a warm palm land gently on the top of her head.
Ritsuka softly ruffled her hair, tidying her messy bangs.
"Never take a stupid risk like that again, Rikka," Ritsuka said, his tone now gentle but firm.
He looked straight into her eyes.
"If you absolutely must do a summoning again, make sure I'm right beside you. Or at the very least, there must be at least two other Servants supervising the process. Do you understand?"
Rikka looked up at her brother's face, now wearing a faint smile, and nodded quickly.
"Okay, Big Brother. I promise."
After settling things with Rikka, Ritsuka didn't lower his guard. His eyes slowly shifted to the side, sharply fixing on the two other "main culprits": Mash and Olga Marie.
Olga flinched when she felt his gaze. A chill ran down her spine.
ZZZT.
The hum of Magic Circuits sounded again. Neon-blue lines lit up along Ritsuka's calves.
In the blink of an eye, Ritsuka vanished from in front of Rikka, leaving only a vacuum of displaced air.
"Huh?"
Before Olga could process what happened, a deep voice whispered right behind her ear.
"Director," Ritsuka greeted casually. His hand was already gripping Olga's shoulder, preventing her escape.
"W-What is it?!" Olga shrieked in panic.
Without warning, Olga's world spun.
HAP!
Ritsuka effortlessly hoisted the petite Director of Chaldea onto his left shoulder, her head hanging upside down—exactly like a sack of rice.
"W-Wait! What are you doing?! Put me down! This is improper!" Olga shouted in shock, kicking the air and pounding Ritsuka's back with her small fists.
Ritsuka didn't budge at all.
"We need to talk, Director," Ritsuka said coldly, patting Olga's back to make her stop.
"Allowing a novice Magus to perform a Servant summoning without supervision is a fatal leadership error. You need a lesson in risk management."
"B-But I only—"
"No 'buts,'" Ritsuka cut her off sharply.
After securing Olga, Ritsuka didn't turn around, but his voice shot sharply toward the dark corner of the alley.
"And you, Mash.
Don't try to use concealment skills to erase your presence. You're not suited for that."
Mash, who had been slowly trying to back away and blend into the shadows, froze in place. Her face went pale at being caught.
"You're also at fault, Mash!" Ritsuka continued lecturing.
"You should have stopped this crazy idea, not supported it! And that shield of yours!"
Ritsuka pointed at the massive shield Mash was holding.
"You let your shield be used as a summoning catalyst without knowing what would come out?! We need a serious discussion about this. You're coming too!"
Mash snapped to attention with perfect posture, cold sweat dripping down her temples.
"Y-Yes, Senpai!" Mash replied nervously.
With Olga still struggling on his left shoulder, and his right hand gesturing for Rikka to follow, Ritsuka casually walked toward a nearby abandoned house to begin an emergency "Performance Evaluation Session."
---
"So… do all three of you understand your fatal mistakes now?"
Ritsuka ended his long lecture with a heavy sigh. He stood with arms crossed, staring at the three figures seated side by side on a dusty old sofa.
Mash, Rikka, and Olga Marie sat with their heads bowed—exactly like naughty students summoned to the principal's office.
"W-We understand…" they answered in unison, voices small.
"Good. I'm glad you understood quickly," Ritsuka muttered, slightly softening his tone.
However, amid the silence, Olga's hands clenched tightly on her lap. Her knuckles turned white.
Heat rose to her face—embarrassment, but also burning irritation.
'Why…? Why am I being lectured like a child by him?!' Olga screamed inwardly.
'I'm the Director of Chaldea! An Animusphere! I should be the one giving orders, not getting scolded by an amateur Master candidate younger than me!'
Logically, Olga knew Ritsuka was right. As a leader, she was responsible for every life under her command. Allowing a risky summoning had been reckless.
But her pride refused to lose completely.
Olga suddenly lifted her head, glaring sharply at Ritsuka standing before her.
"But…" Olga's voice trembled as it rose.
"But remember this! Because of my permission, we're all still breathing right now!"
She stood up from the sofa, pointing toward the window where the aftermath of the explosion was still visible.
"If I hadn't allowed Rikka to do that summoning… if that Assassin hadn't appeared in time… we'd all be dead from the enemy Archer's attack!" she shouted defensively, trying to justify her decision by the result they'd gotten.
Hearing the Director's defense, Rikka—who had been scared—now felt emboldened. She lifted her head too, seeking validation from her brother.
"Y-Yeah! The Director's right!" Rikka added eagerly.
"If I hadn't summoned the Assassin, Big Brother might… Big Brother might not have found us alive!"
Ritsuka looked deeply into Olga's eyes, then nodded slowly.
"That's true," he admitted calmly.
Hearing that validation, Olga's tense face relaxed instantly. A victorious smile began to form on her lips.
"See? You get it, ri—"
"But," Ritsuka cut her off swiftly, the smile vanishing from his face.
"That conclusion is still completely wrong."
Olga choked on her own words. "W-Wait… what?! How is it wrong again?!"
Ritsuka didn't answer immediately. He stepped forward toward the sofa and slowly lowered himself down. He crouched with one knee supporting his weight, one elbow resting casually on that knee.
This position brought his face level with the three of them sitting with bowed heads.
"You think you needed an Assassin to survive that attack?" Ritsuka asked quietly, his eyes sweeping across their faces before stopping on Mash.
"Wrong. You would have been safe even without summoning a new Servant at all."
Ritsuka's index finger pointed straight at Mash Kyrielight.
"Because right here… right beside you, you already had the strongest shield in Chaldea's history."
Silence fell. Then it was broken by Olga's harsh scoff.
"Hah?! Don't joke around!" Olga shouted in disbelief, her brow furrowed.
She pointed at Mash with a scornful look.
"You mean her? This half-baked Demi-Servant? She doesn't even know the True Name of the Heroic Spirit fused with her! She can't properly use her Noble Phantasm! How can you call a defective product like her the strongest?!"
Hearing Olga's harsh words, Rikka suddenly looked up, her face burning red with anger.
"Watch your mouth, Director!" Rikka snapped boldly.
"What do you mean by 'defective product'? Even if Mash doesn't know her Servant's name yet, she's been fighting desperately to protect us from the very beginning! Her shield is strong, and she always stands in front of us! Never call her weak!"
Olga returned Rikka's glare with a deadly sharp gaze, unwilling to be contradicted by her subordinate. But Rikka, already fired up, didn't back down at all.
Between them, Mash looked distressed. She raised her hands awkwardly, panicking as two important people argued because of her.
"Please… stop… Director, Rikka-san…" Mash whispered softly.
"No, Director," Ritsuka interjected calmly but firmly, cutting through their stare-down.
He glanced at Olga briefly, then turned to Mash.
"Mash is strong. Or more precisely… she's on the path to becoming the strongest."
"Senpai…?" Mash looked at Ritsuka in shock.
Olga snorted loudly, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
"Hah? What are you talking about? Don't spout nonsense," Olga sneered.
"Are you conspiring with your sister to defend this defective product out of pity?"
"I'm not defending her out of pity. I'm stating objective facts," Ritsuka replied flatly.
Slowly, Ritsuka shifted his full attention to Mash. His gaze softened, no longer intimidating like when he'd scolded Rikka.
"Listen, Mash. You possess a Servant's body and a top-tier Noble Phantasm. You can withstand attacks that would level buildings."
Ritsuka leaned forward slightly, pointing at Mash's chest where her heart beat.
"The only thing holding you back right now… the reason you look 'weak' to the Director… is your lack of self-confidence."
The room fell silent. His words struck directly at Mash's core issue.
"You're afraid of failing. Afraid of disappointing us. That doubt is what makes your shield fragile," Ritsuka continued gently.
"So… start believing in yourself, Mash. Because I believe in you."
"Senpai…"
Mash's cheeks flushed faintly at such sincere trust. Her hand instinctively rose to her chest, feeling a strange warmth spread within. She looked down, eyes glistening yet still clouded with doubt.
"I…" Mash whispered softly, her voice trembling.
"I… I don't think I can do something that amazing yet…"
"If you can't believe in yourself right now… that's okay."
Ritsuka slowly stood up from his crouch. Standing tall, he extended his right hand toward the shield-bearing girl. His gaze was warm.
"Then instead… believe in me, Mash."
"Believe in the me who believes in you. I'll guide you until you can stand on your own," Ritsuka said gently.
"And I guarantee it—one day, you'll prove it to the world."
Mash stared at the outstretched hand. The hand of an ordinary human, yet it looked incredibly sturdy to her.
"Can… can I really?" Mash asked softly, doubt still lingering.
Ritsuka nodded firmly.
"Of course you can."
He paused, then glanced toward Rikka and Olga, who were still sitting silently, watching the moment.
"And you're not alone. I'll support you. No…" Ritsuka corrected himself with a faint smile.
"We will. All of us will support you from behind."
Hearing that, Mash fell silent. The doubt in her chest slowly receded, replaced by a spark of newfound courage.
With slightly trembling hands, Mash slowly reached forward.
GRAB.
She took Ritsuka's hand. Their skin touched, and with a gentle yet firm pull, Ritsuka helped Mash to her feet.
Ritsuka looked straight into Mash's purple eyes. His smile widened—a proud, infectious smile.
"Hold your head high, Mash."
Ritsuka patted her shoulder.
"Stand proud. You're strong."