Under the pitch-black night sky, within a quiet grove, a bright yellow campfire illuminated half of Takumi Suzuki's reasonably handsome face.
The warmth of the fire, the harmonious chirping of insects, the perfect temperature, accompanied by a gentle, balmy breeze—everything was so cozy, so comfortable.
If a typical salaryman had stumbled upon this place, they would likely have stretched out in comfort by now. But Takumi felt absolutely no enjoyment in his heart.
I feel like I'm going to throw up…
Takumi stared blankly at the tongues of fire dancing in the pit, feeling waves of nausea.
Did he not want to enjoy this leisure? Of course he did.
But the massive halo of light in the sky above was so piercing, so oppressive, it made it hard to breathe.
He had arrived in this world inexplicably, landing in an empty Chaldea. No Mash, no Da Vinci, no Doctor… there wasn't a single person to talk to.
It was as if someone had whispered to him: It's your turn to save the world, kid.
But how could he possibly shoulder such a burden?
Takumi had tried to give up. He had wallowed in self-pity, acted recklessly in his own private Chaldea, thrown tantrums, and held his head in his hands while crying…
But then.
"It's so lonely..."
"Can't someone just say something to me?"
"Even just one sentence..."
It only took one month before Takumi couldn't take it anymore. He began exercising like a madman while studying how to operate Chaldea, finally standing before the Spiritron Rayshift Coffin.
With clumsy combat skills, and Magecraft that was barely enough to light a fire, the standard Chaldea Mystic Code, and three Black Keys—this was all the preparation Takumi could muster.
He didn't even have a Servant. It was fair to say Takumi was going to his death.
And the reality was exactly that.
Five months had passed since he first landed in Chaldea. Over such a long period, the Singularity had likely mutated; the plot he knew from the game could serve as a reference at best.
Takumi hadn't really considered the possibility of survival.
The moment he entered the Singularity (Singularity F: Fuyuki), he was pursued by various Shadow Servants. It should have been a situation with zero chance of survival, yet Takumi discovered he seemed to possess some unknown ability.
With no time to think, he fled like a rat, and miraculously, amidst his escape, he found the only ally available in that Singularity: Cú Chulainn (Caster).
In the end, he even miraculously defeated the Shadow Servant Emiya and Artoria Alter (Saber Alter), successfully resolving the Singularity.
Of course.
Bridging such a massive gap in power didn't happen smoothly, nor was it without cost.
Shadow Emiya was manageable; unable to use his Noble Phantasm, and with Takumi possessing Meta-knowledge plus Cú Chulainn's considerable strength, they ended the battle with the cost of a single Command Spell.
But what about the Dark King, empowered by the Holy Grail?
The burning Wicker Man was ultimately no match for the inverted Holy Sword. As the jet-black beam of light descended, the construct was reduced to dust.
"Oi, it's all up to you now, kid. Don't let me down!"
Takumi clearly remembered the final words Cú Chulainn said before he faded away.
Indeed, Cú Chulainn wasn't exactly a gentle guy. Having played the game and watched the anime, Takumi knew this well.
Yet, even so, Cú had stood before Takumi like a big brother, waving his staff to shield him.
Faced with the opportunity created by Cú's life—the one and only chance he would get in this life—could he really turn a blind eye?
Takumi used his actions to declare his conviction.
Somehow fusing with Cú Chulainn's fragmented Saint Graph, he picked up the wooden staff that had fallen to the ground and charged out from the cover Cú had created in his final moments.
Even Takumi couldn't quite recall exactly what happened then. He only knew that after rushing out, he charged blindly forward. In the blink of an eye, he closed the distance to Artoria, using the staff to lock her in a grapple.
Then, the final Command Spell was expended.
A burning Wicker Man rose from the ground, seizing both Takumi and Artoria, stuffing them into the cage within its chest—a tactic of mutual destruction.
It wasn't an impulse. The battle had already proven that in a contest of Noble Phantasms, even if he fired first, he would be crushed by Artoria's counter-blast.
So, to truly defeat Artoria, he had to seal her Noble Phantasm!
Relying on his special ability, no matter how Artoria attacked, Takumi held on for dear life, refusing to let go.
The burning Wicker Man exploded, finally shattering Artoria's Spirit Core.
Because of this suicidal attack, even with the protection of his special ability, half of Takumi's body was severely burned.
Looking at his right hand, covered in glaring burn scars, Takumi ended his reminiscence.
If I were sent back to that moment of decision now, I doubt I could be as decisive as I was then.
Takumi smiled self-deprecatingly.
Cú Chulainn's Spirit Origin had shattered after defeating Artoria, but fortunately, a portion of that power had somehow remained within Takumi's body.
Takumi Suzuki —
Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: C
Mana: C
Skill: Rune Magecraft (A)
Skill: Disengage (C)
He had finally escaped the bottom tier of power. at least he wouldn't be chased around by a pack of skeletons anymore, right?
Although he had obtained the power he dreamed of, Takumi wasn't particularly happy.
Or rather, it was because of this power, and after successfully clearing a Singularity, that Takumi truly realized the pressure.
Did the task of saving the world really fall on him?
During that lonely period of recovery in Chaldea, pressure, anxiety, and even fear slowly piled up in Takumi's heart.
I really want to throw up…
Takumi stared blankly at the fire before him, the nausea becoming more pronounced.
Why did I have to be the one to do this? Why isn't there even a single teammate to rely on? Even if it was just a useless person, even if they only dragged me down, I could still move forward happily...
Takumi kept questioning himself internally, his eyes reddening unknowingly.
I want to cry...
Takumi sniffled, his vision blurring slightly.
Crack!
The sound of a twig snapping suddenly rang out.
"Who's there?!"
Takumi stopped his tears, instantly pulled himself together, stood up, drew the Black Key by his hand, and threw it in the direction of the sound.
The Black Key stuck into the ground—result of Takumi's less-than-stellar aim—but it successfully startled the intruder.
Golden hair tied in a braid draped behind her back, and blue eyes revealed a hint of awkwardness.
She wore blue-black armor accented with silver metal. The slits in her skirt armor revealed the girl's long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings. The pale white of her thighs contrasted sharply with the black below, and the slight indentation where the stockings cut into her skin was particularly captivating.
Combined with that classic "Takeuchi face" and the two mountainous peaks that her clothes couldn't completely conceal, the identity of the newcomer was self-evident.
"Um... I just came over to take a look..."
Jeanne d'Arc carefully shuffled two steps away from where Takumi had thrown the Black Key.
Takumi recognized her immediately. He sat back down, staring silently at the campfire.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't spoken in so long, or perhaps he lacked experience talking to beautiful girls, but Takumi didn't know how to start the conversation.
"It's a bit far to the nearest town from here. Mind if we partner up? It would be safer for both of us," strictly speaking, Jeanne wasn't as socially anxious as Takumi.
"Suit yourself."
Takumi didn't look at Jeanne; instead, he tossed two more sticks of firewood into the flames.
Jeanne let out a sigh of relief, picked up the Black Key stuck in the ground, and sat down hugging her knees beside Takumi.
She handed the Black Key back to him.
Takumi glanced at it, grabbed the hilt, and placed it back where it was.
"You seem to be in a bad mood. What are you thinking about?" Jeanne asked, having keenly noticed the redness in the corners of Takumi's eyes.
"Nothing much. Just thinking about when I'm going to die."
Takumi blurted it out without thinking.
"...Huh?"
Jeanne looked completely dumbfounded.
After replaying it in her mind a few times to confirm, she was sure she hadn't misheard.
I feel like if I don't give him some proper guidance, something bad might happen...
Thinking this, Jeanne's expression turned serious.
"Why would you think that?"
"Because I—Humanity's Last Master—will probably fail to clear even the First Singularity."
Wait, why can't I understand what you're saying? Do you need a degree to listen to people talk these days?
Jeanne looked bewildered.
"To clear the Singularity, the most important thing is to seize the Holy Grail. And currently, the Holy Grail is in the hands of Black Jeanne..."
"Black Jeanne?"