"You guys really didn't do anything?"
"Of course not, Senpai, what are you thinking!"
"But..."
"Why are you always subconsciously following Ian?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka cast a suspicious gaze.
"You clearly weren't like this just a moment ago!"
"Eh?!"
With Fujimaru Ritsuka's retort, Mash realized she was indeed subconsciously leaning towards Ian.
It was almost as if 'auto-follow' had been turned on...
This was indeed very abnormal behavior, yet she hadn't noticed it at all.
"Hmm?"
Seeing Mash's slightly flushed face, Fujimaru Ritsuka became increasingly suspicious.
"You didn't really do something bad, did you?"
"N-No!" Mash waved her hands while looking at Ian, clearly signaling for help.
"Just passing on some combat techniques, Ritsuka."
Ian quickly stepped in to help Mash out of the predicament.
"You should know that our current situation is no joking matter."
The man's seriousness made Fujimaru Ritsuka involuntarily become serious as well.
"But in such a short time, can one really learn anything?"
"Of course, no problem."
Ian placed his hand on Mash's shoulder.
"Do not doubt Mash's hard work. She... became a Servant precisely because she has a heart that wants to protect everyone."
"..."
Ian's words impacted Fujimaru Ritsuka somewhat.
She quickly nodded.
"You're right."
"Sorry, Mash, I shouldn't have doubted you like that."
"It's nothing." Mash shook her head. "I know Senpai just wanted to confirm my safety."
"But—"
"Please rest assured!"
Mash steadied her cross shield.
"Ian is someone even the Director approves of; you can trust him completely!"
"Mn!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka also received considerable encouragement.
"I will remember that!"
After expressing her feelings so impassionedly, Fujimaru Ritsuka took the lead with large strides.
However, what she did not know was that the moment she turned her head, the man's hand slid all the way down from Mash's shoulder to that perky butt wrapped in the combat suit.
The spread fingers branded the surface with a trace of his presence.
"Secretary..."
"Shh—"
The man used his other hand to make a gesture for silence in front of his lips.
"Just a small supplement."
"Don't make a sound. If Ritsuka finds out, explaining it will be troublesome."
"...Understood."
Hot air exhaled from between the girl's pale pink lips, vanishing into the air like mist.
The cross shield actually became perfect cover at this moment.
She was becoming stronger in a way she herself did not know, radiating the aura of magical energy from the inside out.
"So, this is actually Fuyuki City from an earlier time, right?"
"It's been completely destroyed..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the streets underfoot that had long since fallen apart, and the collapsed and broken buildings all around, her eyes full of pity.
"It shouldn't be like this."
The girl's hands had clenched into fists.
That was not anger, but a kindness born of knowing but being powerless.
In a sense, she and Mash were highly consistent.
No wonder that even in such a dangerous juncture, the two could reach a contract to save each other.
"Don't worry. As long as we can solve the problem, such a tragic state will vanish as merely a 'past possibility'."
"Speaking of which—"
"How is your 'Magecraft' level?"
Understanding friendly combat power, then making optimal arrangements.
Ian knew he had to cherish this hard-won survival situation exceptionally well.
But well...
"Ehe~"
Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed her head and stuck out her tongue.
"Ab-so-lute-ly none~"
"Why can you say that so righteously!" The man couldn't help but remark.
"Because I didn't think about becoming a 'Master' back then!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka stopped, turned around, and looked at Ian and Mash with her hands on her hips.
"That person named Anderson drew some blood and looked all excited, saying I was some chosen one with 100% compatibility."
"And then you agreed to come to Chaldea...?"
"How is that possible!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka refuted Ian's words.
"I'm not an idiot!"
"Of course, I only agreed after he promised three square meals a day with meat and fish, and a monthly subsidy paid on time!"
"Oh right!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka touched her chin with her finger.
"At the time, they seemed to have given me a box of milk too. Mm—it was an expensive brand."
Sometimes the truth is just that unexpectedly absurd.
Ian thought for a moment and decided to accept the sequence of events regarding Fujimaru Ritsuka's appearance at Chaldea.
For no other reason than that this wasn't something unacceptable.
Such a simple reason actually matched Fujimaru Ritsuka's own simplicity.
"Alright then, since that's the case, I think you need some special training too."
Hearing this, Mash blushed immediately.
She subconsciously touched her chest, her lips involuntarily letting out a soft hum.
Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't notice Mash's anomaly.
She only cared about the "special training" Ian mentioned.
"What do I do?"
"For now, extend your hand."
"Mn—"
Fujimaru Ritsuka extended her hand, placing it on the man's hand.
"And then?"
"Sure enough, it's there."
Ian looked at the pattern on the back of Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand, uniquely shaped and resembling bloodstains.
"Ritsuka, this is a 'Command Spell', a tool for a Master to help a Servant in battle."
"With it, you can defeat..."
"Well—I can't say defeat, but at least in a short time, you can make Mash a bit more powerful."
"Oh, it's that kind of 'attack temporarily up' item, right!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka seemed very happy upon learning about the Command Spells, and Mash, learning it was just Command Spells for now, also breathed a sigh of relief.
To touch everyone he sees...
Surely it couldn't be that outrageous!
"It's not wrong for you to understand it that way." Ian stroked the Command Spell on Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand. "But compared to 'attack', it also has functions like 'defense' and 'recovery'."
"Then I'll use it on Mash right now!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka said immediately.
"I want to turn her into a hexagon warrior!"
"Wait a moment, regarding this thing—"
Ian stopped suddenly before he finished speaking.
Clang.
The man drew the [Sword of Slaanesh] with extreme speed.
A sword shadow flashed past, and something seemed to be split in two by the blade.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash hadn't reacted to what it was, but Ian, strengthened by Slaanesh, had long seen everything clearly.
But even so—
He found it hard to believe the scene reflected in his eyes.
A bullet...
It was a genuine black bullet!
________________________________________
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