Fujimaru Ritsuka.
He was just a 17-year-old high school boy.
To be honest, even now, I think it's insane to ask a mere high schooler to save the world.
Well, the original story is from Japan, and it's a common trope in Japan for high school students to be the protagonists and save the world, so I guess I can let it slide.
But seeing it in reality made me realize just how serious it was.
On top of that, this world was completely irrational.
It was the kind of scenario and world you'd see in an R-18 doujinshi.
The cliche where female Servants are, for some reason, weaker than men, where they are subjugated and corrupted through force or other factors, and where the male protagonist's girlfriend gets NTR'd.
That's the kind of place where this was happening for real.
Normally, doujinshi tend to respect and stick to the original settings, but R-18 works don't give a damn about that, since their only purpose is to show people screwing.
That's why this world is a chaotic mess, a total clusterfuck.
Which is more despairing, the original story or this? Honestly, the original story's world and events were pretty much a dystopia too, if you think about it.
This world is just as crappy.
From an observer's point of view, it seemed better to just die a clean death.
A kid of just 17 got NTR'd, was toyed with by the women who were once his Servants, and on top of that, was forcibly gender-bent and turned into a plaything.
As someone who watched it all happen, I couldn't just stay silent.
And so, for reasons I don't understand, since I've regressed, I decided to be bold.
"He definitely wasn't in the control room during the explosion. Just like I was organizing the warehouse at the time, he was fooling around in Da Vinci's workshop."
"Is that so?"
Well, for some reason, I regressed and Ritsuka had become Gudako. I don't know why she was gender-bent, but the world itself seems to be the same, so I'll proceed as planned.
I told Ritsuka everything I knew. Of course, she didn't seem to believe me completely, but she appeared to trust me a little.
Someone might see my actions and ask, "Why bother telling her everything? Won't she just get suspicious and keep her distance?" But they'd be wrong.
Ritsuka is a pure kid, for better or worse. Because of that, even if she doesn't believe me, she's the type to just think I'm a troubled person and take care of me. Whether she believes me now or not, in time, she'll come to realize I was right.
So, all I have to do is talk and build trust.
Anyway, that's not what's important right now.
"The control room is probably going to explode soon. The best course of action would be to get him into the control room somehow before that. But I don't know the exact time."
Time. I don't know how much time is left.
I was torn between dealing with Ritsuka or him first, and I chose to find Ritsuka.
It was uncertain if I could even get that guy into the control room, and I figured that making contact with Ritsuka first and becoming her ally was the more stable route.
BOOOOM!!!
As expected, the explosion occurred shortly after.
"It's already happened. Let's go!"
"..."
"Ritsuka?"
"Ah, yeah. Let's go."
I hurried to get to the control room, but Ritsuka had a momentarily bitter expression. As if she was displeased with something, the Ritsuka who had been smiling and listening to my story just moments ago became strangely emotionless with the explosion.
Her mouth was ambiguous, but her eyes were definitely not smiling.
I have to prevent the disaster of that guy meeting Mash first and forming a contract. In the previous timeline, Ritsuka was Mash's first Master, but I must prevent the possibility of that guy taking his place.
By the way, if Mash and Ritsuka get together here, it'll be yuri. Well, Fate has had yuri before, so it's not a big deal.
I run quickly to the control room with Ritsuka. Beyond the broken door, I can see the burning control room. Before the blast walls come down, Ritsuka and I slip inside.
Before I became self-aware, I was in the warehouse at this time.
I might get caught up in this by entering the control room, but this world is too dangerous to let Ritsuka go in alone. She was a boy before, but now Ritsuka is a girl.
Basically, in most erotic doujinshi, the woman is thoroughly the weaker party and always has something done to her. Well, there are quite a few where the man is the one who suffers, though.
The blast walls are already beginning to lower. For now, I'm relieved that guy doesn't seem to be in the control room.
"Ugh…"
A voice calls out. It was Mash's voice.
"Senpai?"
As I run towards the voice, I see Ritsuka walking from the opposite direction.
But the atmosphere was a little strange. Ritsuka was looking down at Mash, her eyes filled with a complex emotion. Glancing at Mash, who was pinned under the rubble, she slowly knelt and extended her hand.
"It's dangerous, you must evacuate…"
"…It's already too late to evacuate. And I can't just see someone like this and walk away."
Ritsuka says with a faint smile, taking Mash's hand. To think I'd get to see this in person.
However, Ritsuka's attitude is bothering me a little.
-System, shifting to final stage of Rayshift. Coordinates: Fuyuki, Japan. January 30th, 2004 A.D.
An announcement echoed through the room.
-Laplace transfer protection established. Anchors secured for factors in the Singularity. Unsummon Program set. Master, please begin final adjustments.
Will she be able to handle Fuyuki? She seemed to manage it somehow in the last timeline, but I can't help but feel anxious.
-Warning to all observation staff. CHALDEAS's state has changed. Recalculating near-future observation data via SHEBA. No trace of humanity can be found in the next 100 years of Earth's future. The survival of mankind cannot be confirmed. The future of mankind cannot be guaranteed.
"…Are you scared?"
Ritsuka asks, perhaps noticing the worried look on my face.
"More than scared, I'm just very worried. But it'll be okay. In times like these, you can't let go of positive hope."
"I see. Positive hope, huh. You're right, you should never let go of hope."
Is this the positivity of a protagonist? I feel like I shouldn't be feeling this reassured by a kid.
-Vitals of Master in Coffin have not reached the standard value. Rayshift capacity not met. Searching for a suitable Master.
Is it time? If I had the aptitude, I could have gone with her. No, what would I even do if I went? I wouldn't be much help. I'll try to do something about that guy, but fighting is a different story.
-Candidate found. Aptitude Number 48, Fujimaru Ritsuka, has been reset as Master.
While Ritsuka is working hard in the Singularity, I'll find a way to eliminate that guy back in Chaldea. If he's gone, things should somehow proceed more like the original story.
I don't know if following the original story is a good thing, but the lesser of two evils is better than the absolute worst.
-Unregistered compatible candidate found. Setting as Aptitude Number 49.
"Huh?"
-Aptitude Number 49, Kuriyama Sho.
"Wait, why me?"
-Unsummon Program Start. Commencing spiritron conversion.
"Wait, why me!?"
-All processes cleared. First Order, commencing verification.
The light of the Rayshift enveloped me, and CHALDEAS sent me, a commoner with no aptitude whatsoever, to Fuyuki. Seriously, why me!?
And as I was being Rayshifted, the last thing I saw was Ritsuka's faint smile.