Prologue

...That's not good.

Yeah. I don't know what's going on, but this is straight out of Section Q-23 of the manual.

I'd say this qualifies as an anomaly.

"Degraded Performance and/or Malfunction in Paper Moon Due to Unknown Factor," huh...

...Initiating data collection and situation recording to determine the cause of the phenomenon, as stipulated in the manual. Data Integrity Level: AA.

Please note that beginning immediately, everything that occursincluding all we say and dowill be documented.

Sorry, would one of you mind making the announcement? I've got my hands full over here!

Oh, hi, Senpai. Did you hear that announcement, too?

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Right. I heard them ask for Da Vinci and Sion...

...so it sounds like we may have some kind of technical issue.

By the sound of it, this may be serious.

So I thought I would stop by and see if there was anything I could do to help.

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Okay!

The Paper Moon isn't working right?

Looks that way.

We were just asking its manufacturer-slash-caretaker about it, though she seems every bit as stumped as we are.

Hmm... Believe me, I would like to know what is going on here just as much as you.

Given its nature, there should be no easy way for it to malfunction like this.

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Really. As extraordinary as the Paper Moon's measuring capabilities are, its operation is actually extremely simple.

It is not possible for it to mismeasure anything, nor will it break down even in harsh environments.

It is that remarkable reliability that makes it an ideal compass, capable of operating even in Void Space.

At its core, it is simply a two-dimensional moon that projects anything and everything exactly as it is...

...regardless of whether a given thing has a form, or whether it is from reality or the void.

It does not perform complex calculations on its own, nor does it have any points where it might fail mechanically.

Oh come on. Say it's simple all you like, but for us it may as well be the blackest of all black boxes.

Even I won't open the thing up for fear of breaking it.

Chaldea's brightest engineers all studied it pretty closely, since it was sent to us quite a while back...

...but they just said it was an incredible device we just couldn't find any conceivable use for.

Which is why we didn't do anything for it until the Shadow Border was completed.

Well of course. That is because it is an Atlas Institute Mystic Code.

I may have given it to Chaldea, but its design and inner workings are still a closely guarded secret.

It also incorporates a number of my family's patented technologies at the microscopic level...

...so I am certain it would be exceptionally difficult for anyone besides myself to tinker with its core.

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Right. Though, I would say it is more maniacal than complex.

Perhaps this example will prove illustrative.

Imagine first a jigsaw puzzle which is completely blank but composed of approximately one hundred million pieces.

Now imagine the puzzle is completed, glued in place, and hung on a wall in a nice frame.

Functionally, it would work the same as a plain white poster...

...though it would still be composed of a hundred million tiny, delicate pieces.

Though it is well out of reach, now that the pieces have been glued firmly in place, it has all the simplicity of a sheet of paper.

And since its functions are so simple, it is almost impossible for it to break down.

However, by definition, it remains a construct composed of one hundred million pieces.

So, if someone wished to tamper with its inner workings, they would have to remove those pieces, one at a time.

I-I see. At least...I think I do.

Well, I will admit that it is something I made back when I had no particular goal and an overabundance of free time.

Even so, none of the materials I used should degrade easily.

Further, I employed a programmatic spell in its construction which would initiate a self-repair routine should anything happen to it.

So to continue the metaphor, think of the Paper Moon as a jigsaw puzzle which I...

...the beloved daughter (and noted genius) of the head of the Atlas Institute, constructed so well, it should never come apart on its own.

At any rate, let me take a look.

Okay, first we activate this, then we do this...

Hm? Hang on. That light on the monitor looks like...a Singularity signal?

Can we get confirmation of this!?

Y-you're correct! It definitely does look like a Singularity...

...but I'm not getting any Singularity readings from it!

...Are you certain?

Yeah, but it sure looks like one. On the world map, it looks like it's around Egypt...

I've been checking it over and over, but it just isn't entering any data into the Paper Moon.

That light shouldn't be there!

So we are seeing this light even though no data has been entered?

...I can think of two possibilities.

First: there is a problem with the display equipment.

That is, there could be a stuck pixel on the monitor or perhaps someone, thinking themselves a jokester, drew on the screen.

In short, we are seeing something with no correlation to any data.

But if that is not the issue, then we are left with our second possibility:

The receptacle mechanismthat is, the Paper Moon itself, which is directly linked to the data...

...is emitting some kind of signal.

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What's going on!? All hands, emergency stations!

Are you okay, Senpai!? Stay close to me!

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So you're finally awake, huh? Guess you're still a big old sleepyhead.

I guess that's okay, though. Sleeping in is a great way to indulge your lazy side.

If you want to sleep your way closer to depravity every day, I certainly won't be stopping you.

So please, don't wake up on my behalf.

Can't very well be my fault if something awful happens to you while you're asleep, after all.

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Oh, knock off the sad puppy eyes, would you?

I only just woke up here myself.

I think we're in the same boat here.

That is, I don't know aaany more than you do here.

Maybe if I was more of a ninjaesque Assassin, I'd already have this whole area mapped out or something...

...but I'm afraid you're stuck with little old, not-ninja me.

The only thing I've done since I got here is amuse myself by watching you sleep...and occasionally poke your cheeks.

Too bad for you, huh? Hehehe.

Wh-wh-where'd that come from?

I-I mean, come on, you know what my deal is, right?

If anything, I'm more enemy than ally. So, smiling at me like that isn't going to...to...

...Huh? That's weird. I actually don't mind it.

Okay, something's definitely not right here. Well, I'm just gonna forget about it. Aaand there. Forgotten.

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Anyway, all I know is, when I came to, it was just you and me here. No other Servants, no staff members, nobody.

Also, none of our tech is working, comms included. No contacting anyone for us.

So, what's the plan?

I don't want to be doing any work if at all possible. But...I guess I don't really have a choice since I'm the only one here.

Fine, I can at least gather some information for you. Can't promise it'll be useful, though.

So, do you want to stick together or send me out on my own? It's up to yo

Hold it.

How can you call yourself his friendno, his Servant, and not notice?

I must say, you are being very inattentive. Did you not notice that he lost his balance just a moment ago?

There is quite clearly something wrong with him, physically.

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