Dream/Reality

...You wish to know about dreams?

Yes, that's right.

Uncle said you know a lot about them, about the visions we see while we sleep.

I know how to walk through dreams...but I don't know much about them.

They seem to stretch on forever, like they're worlds of their very own.

Sometimes they seem like they're about to swallow you whole, but they still remain small and insignificant.

They're formless, but sometimes they can be so sharp or hard.

Sometimes they get cold, sometimes they get hot...

...I feel so close to understanding them, but I can never seem to get all the way there.

Hmm, I see.

...Yes, that's right. I just don't understand them.

So I was hoping someone like you, who knows lots about dreams, could explain them to me.

Master walks through dreams frequently, right? Uncle said he had a dream like that even before I came here.

What did he say it was called again? Shi...mousa?

Shimousa, yes. Haha, I see. So that's why he sent you to me.

Huh?

Nothing, nothing. Just thinking out loud!

At any rate, I can't claim to be particularly well-informed myself, but it does seem as though our Master is something of an errant dreamwalker.

It seems there was one such dream incident fairly recently, in fact. Fortunately, it appears to have been resolved without much issue.

Hehe, still, I'm afraid I cannot help you! I am neither a dreamwalker myself, nor a resident of a dreamworld!

Now, an incubus, on the other hand...

Yes, I think you would have far more success posing your question to one of the Lord Merlins.

One of...?

Yes.

Ah, yes! My mistake! I meant Lord Merlin or his esteemed sister, of course.

As you say, Lady Abigail, people's dreams are indeed bizarre beyond measure. They are raging and tumultuous. Truly, they are the realm of the absurd.

There is nothing of substance within them, and yet, that is also why they can be said to contain anything in the world.

Indeed, compared to our current bleached world...

Hm?

No, no. Never mind.

At any rate, as I was saying, I suggest you call upon Lord Merlin or his esteemed sister.

Now, if you will excuse me.

But, Uncle's...

...Yes?

Did something happen to Uncle Edmond?

Uncle said that I should talk to you because this is about the dream Master's having now, specifically.

I don't really know what he meant by that.

But...

...I do think I noticed your scentor rather, a fragment of your scent...

...somewhere in Master's dream...

...Oho. Did you now?

...Huh?

Kagekiyo's gone?

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Ughhh, great. So the only Servants that made it here from Chaldea...

...are the music teacher and me.

So it would seem. It's unfortunate we could not secure reinforcements.

Wait, wait, hold on. Isn't it still too soon to give up!?

What's to stop us from summoning more Chaldean Servants the way we did back there?

I don't know how you and Dantès pulled off that weird summon before, Master, but can't you just do it again?

Hell, he's the one who helped us Rayshift over here in the first place.

I'm afraid it may not be that simple.

If the two of us and Kagekiyo are any indication, it does seem he can summon Avenger-class Servants...

...but I'm not sure that's the same thing as a proper summon.

Given how Master used a Command Spell to call on Kagekiyo...

...I thought it might be the same kind of Command Spell-based Servant teleportation used in conventional Holy Grail Wars.

However, since he didn't use any Command Spells to Rayshift us here, that leads me to believe that

You think Dantès just brute forced us into this place?

I'm admittedly not too familiar with his Noble Phantasm, but I have heard it can work even outside the constraints of time and space.

If that's true, I would not be surprised to learn that he transported us here by some supernatural means.

Suffice to say, I believe he himself functioned as our passageway to this unusual Singularity.

Man, Noble Phantasms are crazy shit.

...Wait. Why don't we just ask what the deal is? We've got the Master who used the Command Spell right here.

So? Why DID you use a Command Spell to call on Kagekiyo?

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That tells me the black shadowEdmond Dantès, must have been calling the shots.

So then, what is his connection to this Singularity? Does it have anything to do with these quasi-summons?

I suppose it's also possible he was involved with this Singularity's creation...

Huh? What're you saying? You think Dantès made this Singularity?

...

...Okay, I guess it wouldn't be the first time.

Yeah.

He did do that, didn't he?

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I don't know much about it, but I think plain Jeanne and Amakusa said something to that effect.

I guess it'd be fastest to just ask Dantès himself, but... Eh.

How has he been since that battle?

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I see.

Maybe he's using his spirit form to try and recover his strength.

It did look like he wore himself out pretty badly when we Rayshifted here.

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Well, he didn't just call us here, remember? He boosted our Spirit Origins, too.

Hell, it's still in effect now, so it must be a constant thing.

As hard as he's pushing himself, it's not exactly a shock that he's getting worn out.

...So, yeah, I guess it makes sense that he'd need a break.

Maybe we can talk to him the next time he shows u

Huh!? Already!?

What're you thinking!? We're at school right now! You're gonna freak everyone else out!

Really? That's all you have to say?

Yeah! What he said!

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Aaand he's gone again!

Huh? Hey, Oruta, did you see a black curtain fluttering around or something over there too?

Uh, n-no, can't say I did. Prolly just your imagination. Ahahahaha.

Really? That's weird.

Hey, there's obviously nothing here, right? Now go on, get outta here.

Oruta, huh? It suits you.

You're still fitting in way more naturally as Mr. Salieri. Hell, you didn't even have to change your clothes.

My time was closer to modernity, so it may not have been quite so much of a leap for me.

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Hm? Well...I just went home as Oruta the high school student.

I even talked with my "Mom" despite not recognizing her at all.

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It was kind of a pain, but what else could I do? Especially when I have to stay like this most of the time.

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Well, it's looking like it's impossible to maintain a combat-ready Spirit Origin all the time while we're here.

Maybe it's because of the weird way we half materialized, half Rayshifted here or something.

All I know is, that Spirit Origin uses up magical energy like crazy! ...Hmm. I guess that's pretty similar to you-know-who.

Anyway, I can't go into spirit form as Oruta, but it uses almost no magical energy.

So, most of the time, I'll just keep on passing myself off as Oruta.

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As regards my Spirit Origin, yes. Though as you can see, I don't look especially different.

Regarding where I went last night, I was hiding out near your house, of course.

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Yes. Hiding out.

Fortunately, my music teacher counterpart here lives alone, without any family that might worry about him.

And so it only makes sense for me to take up guard duty.

Edmond Dantès may be hiding in your shadow, but he doesn't seem especially conversational right now, and we can't be sure he will or even can come to your rescue should you need help.

So, I will naturally do whatever I must to keep you safe.

I-I see. Yeah, okay. Makes sense.

Okay, "Oruta" here might be affecting me more than I realized. I just kind of assumed Master would be safe at home.

Man, I need to get my head outta my ass.

Damn, Salieri, you were really thinking ahead...

No need to thank me.

Yes, I suppose I could have.

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Oh, I just remembered. How's that other girl doing?

Uh... Kyrie, right? I mean, from her perspective, she saw some shit yesterday.

Was she freaked out? Did she make it back home okay?

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...

... ...

...It looks like we made it home.

That's a relief. It's a good thing the trains were running again.

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Yeah.

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...Well, yes.

I have no idea what happened back there, or what it was I witnessed today.

Even now, just thinking about it scares me so much it makes my hands tremble.

But...

It's okay. I'm fine.

？！

Senpai... You're really worried about me, aren't you?

And despite your worries, you've decided not to tell me too much... That's what you're saying, isn't it?

I...

I have no idea how Oruta-senpai and Mr. Salieri were able to jump all the way up to the top of that building...

Or what those armored knights were... Or that creepy fire...

I saw it all with my own eyes, but I still can't quite believe it happened.

... ...

...It would be easy to lie. To say I've already forgotten about it.

But, I haven't. I'm still thinking about it all the time.

I want to ask you what's going on more than anything. Part of me would love to pepper you with questions until morning.

But...I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to pry!

If you say you can't tell me, then...I'm going to trust that there's a good reason for that!

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Hi, Fujimaru! Hi, Kyrie!

Ehehe, welcome home!

Ehehe, sorry♡ Mmm, you're so warm, Fujimaru.

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There you two are. Thank goodness. I'm so glad you're back safe.

Hi, Auntie. ...Um...

They say there was a gas explosion near Tokyo Station, so Mommy was reeeally worried.

In fact, she was actually crying until just now.

She was all like, "Ahh, I knew it. I knew I should have let him have a cell phone..."

Ahem!

A-at any rate, yes, they did say there was a gas explosion over by Tokyo Station.

But you two weren't anywhere near there, were you?

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...

Ah. You didn't say you didn't go near there! You've been naaaughtyyy!

...Well, you're back now, and knowing you two, I'm sure you weren't over there for anything nefarious.

But... Hm, maybe I really should speak with your father about letting you have a cell phone.

Anyway, let's eat already! I'm starving!

C'mon, Fujimaru! C'mon, Kyrie! Let's go inside!

Eek.

Hehe, got your hand, Kyrie! Now I'm just gonna grab yours, and...

Ta-da! I'm a captured alien again!

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Ah. Your hand is trembling...

... ...

...It's okay. Senpai and I are right here.

We're not going anywhere. Everything's fine.

...Okay.

...

...

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All right, everyone, come in before you catch a cold, and let's have a nice dinner together.

I was planning on making hamburger steak tonight. How does that sound?

It sounds great. I'll help.

Hey. Will the two of you please just promise me one thing?

Whatever you do, please, stay safe.

Okay?

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Hamburger steak?

Mmm, I do love me a good steak... But anyway, I guess that means Kyrie's doing okay.

Though, you know...this country's really nice, isn't it?

I went to a convenience store late last night, just because.

I couldn't believe how much stuff they had! All that fresh produce! Even fruit!

They had a ton of luxury items, too. Drinks, candy, cakes... Anything and everything, it seemed like.

？！

I knew this from Oruta's memories, but seeing 2017 in person...

...really drives home how peaceful and abundant this era is.

Or is it only like that in this particular area? Still, though...

... ...

...Hey, Master. Is your house here, you know, YOUR house?

We're in your homeland, so I thought I'd ask.

Hm.

Hmm.

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You don't sound too sure of yourself. Do you want to talk about it?

So, your memories are hazy. And they've been that way ever since you came here?

This country seems familiar to you, but you're not sure it's your home. You have a family here, but you can't tell if they're your real family or not.

There are people here who look like people from Chaldea, like Oruta and Kyrie...

...so you wonder if it might be another situation like Shimousa, huh? Hmm.

That would mean this might be one of your REM REM

...Ugh, this is such a pain to put into words. Okay, so... Uh...

This place is like a Singularity that's connected to your mind, or your memories, like Shimousa was?

Do I have that right?

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So you fell into a coma, upon which your mind and soul alone Rayshifted here... As I thought, that does sound a great deal like what happened with Shimousa.

(According to Chaldea's records, Edmond Dantès appeared in Shimousa as well.)

(They also say he's appeared regularly whenever Master experiences an odd dream or hallucination.)

Okay, so this is one of those REM REM Singularities, but for some reason, your memories in this one are all hazy.

So you pretty much can't remember anything clearly, right?

I thought that if you were actually from this Singularity, it might be like a nice trip down memory lane...

...but if we can't be sure about that, then I probably shouldn't have assumed.

Sorry.

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Yeah? So how was the hamburger steak last night then?

Did it taste like home cooking?

Nice.

Dramatic much?

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A place that feels like home, huh. I like that.

We aren't presently in a position to set up a base of operations. At least, not easily.

That's especially true for you, Alter. As long as you need to stay in that Spirit Origin to save magical energy...

...you'll need to convincingly act like you're part of your Oruta counterpart's family.

That goes for school as well. If we suddenly abandon our daily routine, it could well end up hindering our mission rather than helping it.

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...All that aside, you really are dull, Mr. Salieri.

Hm?

I swear, this is the whole problem with Avenger Spirit Origins. Marie would cry if she saw you now.

Don't be silly. Of course she wouldn't. My Heroic Spirit self and Antonio Salieri the composer are completely separate people.

I am an Avenger, an impossible Spirit Origin formed as an Innocent Monster.

That right there. That's the whole problem.

What, do you not remember when you were teaching music for real or something?

... ...

The silent treatment, eh? Whatever.

More importantly, we should discuss our strategy for this Singularity. I take it we all agree that our first priority should be securing additional fighters.

If there are seven trials with seven Servants in total, and yesterday's was the first, then

We've got six more Servants like her to face?

Correct. We also have no guarantee that they will come one at a time.

Last time, a trumpet sounded before everything went down, yeah? So at least we'll have some heads-up.

So, more fighters, huh? Yeah, I guess there won't be much we can do without a bigger team.

It'd definitely be bad newI mean, a little tiring if more than one Servant like the kind from yesterday attacked us at once.

There was no need to rephrase.

Oh, shut up.

...Dammit, if only Kagekiyo was still here.

Indeed.

Were this a proper Singularity, we could seek one of the Rogue Servants who would have been called here, but in this case...

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Hey, yeah! I forgot about the transfer student!

...!

O-Oruta-senpai is standing right next to Senpai...

When did they get so close...?

Hey, there you are. 'Sup, Fujimaru.

Morning, Fujimaru! Did you hear about the incident at Tokyo Station yesterday!?

Guess you didn't then. Hmm.

Really? It's all anyone online or on TV is talking about!

Well, technically, it was more of an accident than an incident. Did you really not hear about the gas explosion?

Eh, I'd say it was more of an accident than an incident. The gas company even said as much.

I know...but "incident" is such a powerful word!

Just imagine the headline "Tokyo Station Complete Shutdown Incident"! Doesn't that just radiate power?

I guess? Hmm. Actually...maybe?

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All of Tokyo Station was shut down for forty-one whole minutes. The whole thing! No one outside could communicate with anyone in there.

And according to the rumors I read online...

...the people who were near there at the time have zero memory of those forty-one minutes, too! Isn't that freaky!?

Oh, c'mon. Rumors online? How many times have you fallen for those, just this year alone?

Didn't you say you learned your lesson after the last debacle!?

Th-these are still just the fourth set of rumors I read this year... That's a lot fewer than last year...

It's still way too maHm? Actually, maybe that's not so bad.

I mean, compared to what you fell for in junior high last year

Ulp. Please, whatever you do, don't bring up junior high! I just can't even...

I swear, you always bring it up! ...You wouldn't do that to me, right, Fujimaru?

...

So you really DO have amnesia, Fujimaru? That's gotta be what this is, Ricardo!

Yeah, yeah, whatever.

Hm...?

Hey, Ricardo, did you find that odd, too? Like, he didn't want to lie, so he just didn't say anything?

Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that's exactly it.

Seriously, isn't it about time you left those kinds of delusions behind with everything else about junior high? You'd be doing yourself a favor.

!!!

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Okay, everyone, settle down, please. No more talking, thank you.

Take your seats, and let's get homeroom started, shall we?

Well, later, Fujimaru.

Ulp...

I'm going to count down from three. Three... Two... One...

Good, you're all seated. Well done. Now, firstly, some announcements...

... ...

...Fujimaru. I've been watching you.

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I know how to direct my voice. I'm speaking so that only you can hear me.

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As I was saying.

I don't know the details, or who that armored knight was.

Was that the first trial?

I do think there's some kind of mastermind behind all this, but I don't know who it is right now.

However, I believe I know what it is I'm here for.

Humanity summoned me. That much, I'm sure of.

However, I don't yet know why humanity would go so far as to call on an Anti-Hero like me, or if I should serve you.

So I'm going to keep watching you...

...and decide for myself.

That all depends on you.

Fine.

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...For the time being, try to survive. I'll be watching.

... ...

(Gasp!) Oruta's watching Fujimaru and the new kid stare at each other!

B-but then, of course she is. You don't often see two people locking eyes like that, even when they're sitting next to each other.

Who wouldn't wonder what's going on between them!?

I know how she feels. Oh yes, I know exactly how she feels.

You really oughta cut that stuff out.

B-but then, of course she is. You don't often see two people locking eyes like that, even when they're sitting next to each other.

It's only natural to wonder if this is a meet-cute!

I-I wonder which one Oruta's more interested in? Is it Fujimaru?

O-o-or maybe it's Hassan, the mysterious new transfer student!

Easy, girl. You really oughta cut that stuff out.

All right, everyone, no talking during homeroom.

Now, that takes care of announcements...except for one last very special one.

Some of you may already know this, but today...

...we're getting a transfer student!

A-another transfer student!?

Two out-of-season transfers in two days... There has GOT to be something going on, right!?

All right, class, settle down.

The assistant homeroom teacher just brought them here now, so let me introduce them.

Come on in!

I wonder if it's another boy!

Now, now. Quiet, please.

... ...

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Okay, everyone, quiet, please. Our latest student is coming to us from Kyoto.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

...Sure.

My name is KageI mean, Ushiwaka. Yes, Ushiwaka.

...Call me Ushiwaka. Hello.

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Now wait just a damn minute! You're not Ushiwaka!

You're Kagekiyo, right!?

... ...

......

Say something, dammit!