Section 3: Lost Sheep

I was given knowledge of this place when Amor chose me for his vessel...

...but it's still a surprise to see the Chaldea Security Organization up and running.

All these different Heroic Spirits coming together to face a threat to the very world and restore humanity...

Well, it's all very inspiring.

？！

Of course. I would never have become a Pseudo-Servant if I weren't interested in helping.

Truly, it is all thanks to the Lord that I was given this opportunity.

Not to mention that, with all of these fine Heroic Spirits...

...I should be able to realize my dream of an ideal world filled with love.

Hmm. Her opportune appearance was pretty fishy, but I can't deny that she's saying all the right things now.

Y-yeah, that's true. If we're just going off looks and elegance, she could give our princess a run for her money.

But whenever I look at that red outfit of hers, I always feel weirdly unsettled.

It's almost like...it's unearthing some kind of trauma buried deep in my soul or something...

You two are Lord Gilgamesh and Lord Cú Chulainn, right?

It's an honor to be here speaking with two of the greatest heroes the world has ever known.

What a strange twist of fate that has brought us all here. It's as though we're bound by unbreakable diamond chains.

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Oh yes, absolutely. It's quite nerve-racking, meeting everyone for the first time like this.

Hi, mister Fujimaru! Happy Valentine's Day!

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It's nice to see you all hanging out together. And I see you've also got an unusual addition to your group today.

...Hello.

You're right, this is unusual. You all headed out somewhere?

No...

We weren't doing anything in particular.

We just happened to end up together, got to talking, and decided to go to the cafeteria...

Well, you sure don't sound excited about it.

I thought I remembered you being a little more, you know, assertive. It's no wonder you're getting jerked around if you're gonna be all wishy-washy.

Look, you wouldn't just let your opponent do whatever they wanted in a fight, right? So why don't you try applying that same attitude to your normal life?

O-okay!

Um, by the way... May I ask who that is?

Oh, does this mean I can come out now?

Hello. Nice to meet you.

I'm the Servant version of Amor, the god of love.

But please feel free to call me Caren and treat me like an old frien

Urk.

Urk.

Urk.

Ah.

Aaaaaah! It's Ms. Careeeeeen!

Huh? Ms. Caren?

？！

Wh-wh-wh-wh-what's going on!? What are you doing here!?

Yeah! What are you doing here, Ms. Caren!?

No, wait. Hang on.

I think there's something...different about her.

...She does seem a lot smaller.

Maybe...she's Kid Ms. Caren?

Hmm, I can't say I care for this trend of attaching "Kid" to anything and everything.

Oh... I'm sorry.

So what's this all about?

You girls all know who this is already?

Well, yeah. She was our school nurse.

Although, that Ms. Caren was more grown-up than this one is.

Are you...

... ...

Never mind. I understand now.

You see, I'm a Pseudo-Servant acting as a vessel for Amor the Divine Spirit...

And unfortunately, I have no memories of the time we presumably spent together.

Perhaps this means the version of me you met was from a different world than I am?

Aww, really?

And here I was excited to meet someone I knew in my original world.

... ...

Oh dear, is something wrong?

Ulp. N-no, nothing's wrong. It's just... Um...

Right... Of course. I knew this couldn't possibly be the case, but...

For just a moment, I thought you might be Caren Fujimura, is all...

(Fujimura...)

(As in Ms. Fujimura?)

(Where did that name come from?)

I have no way of knowing what sort of chaotic world you may have come from...

But I do apologize if I inadvertently gave you the wrong idea.

Oh no, not at all!

Still, after hearing all that, there is one thing I do know.

I must have been one of your favorite teachers, and you all must have admired me deeply.

I can almost see it now. Me, smiling and happy, surrounded by a group of adoring children.

Yes, I can almost...almost...

...

？！

...So it would seem. I guess my imagination isn't as strong as I thought.

You sure you're not just keenly aware that there exists no universe where that would ever happen?

Shut up.

Yeow!

Now, where were we...? Oh, yes. I have a very clear mental picture now.

Erice, was it?

I can tell that you must have respected me I mean, this other Caren, a great deal.

What a beautiful teacher and student relationship you must have had.

That goes for the rest of you, too. Thank you for adoring the me you knew in your worlds.

N-not at all, um, God Caren! You're much too kind!

... ...

(A beautiful teacher and student relationship, huh...)

(I definitely don't think I'd put it like that...)

(She really does remind me a lot of Ms. Caren, though...)

By the way...

Can I ask what brings you to Chaldea...Caren? Did our Master summon you here?

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I see. Bitter Shadows, huh.

I had no idea things like that were roaming around Chaldea.

Ohhh, so that's what's going on here.

...Wait. Isn't that kind of a big deal?

Yeah, kind of. There's not a whole lot we can do until we figure out where they're coming from, after all.

So we're basically just wandering around seeing what's up. Guess those Bitter Shadow things and us have that in common.

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Out of the ordinary...

Oh? Do you have an idea, Miyu?

Well, um, it's probably not that big a deal...

But there is a new kind of chocolate being sold here that's been all the rage lately.

It's so hard to get ahold of that everyone calls it elusory chocolate.

Gotcha. So it's the kind of thing where stores make up some special limited edition item to drum up interest, right?

Come on, Cú Chulainn, you don't have to put it like that.

It may be something of a last resort, but these struggling small businesses need to spread the word somehow, right?

...At least I didn't call it a "last resort"...

Anyway, what about this elusory chocolate struck you as being out of the ordinary?

Well, we've only heard rumors ourselves, and we're not sure how credible they are...

But they say that the merchant selling this chocolate comes and goes in the blink of an eye...

...And that they wear a paper bag over their head. A real simple one, like they give you at bakeries and stuff.

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The hell!? No, seriously, what the hell's that all about!?

I-I do have a hard time seeing how that could have any connection to this Bitter Shadows incident...

Are you sure it's even someone from Chaldea?

Everyone says it's probably just the kykeon lady or someone from the Servantverse...

...and they don't seem concerned at all.

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Hmm...

Those guys seemed like they were anxious about something today, too.

I wonder if that had anything to do with these Bitter Shadows...

Oh?

Did you sense something amiss too, Ms. Erice?

I wouldn't be that specific really. It's more like...a general feeling of unease?

... ...

Erice, was it?

I think I understand why this Caren Fujimura you knew was concerned about you.

It's because you, me, and Caren Fujimura...

...all have the same kind of secret, isn't it?

!!!

So, you could tell. I thought you might be able to.

Then, does that mean that you also

Oh yes, I could tell right away. You have...

...fabulous fashion sense!

... ...

???

You're boldly exposing a great deal of skin, all while retaining an unflappable demeanor.

That is something only one attempting to offer herself to a divine domain could do.

What's more, that avant-garde outfit of yours is, to put it modestly, utterly perfect!

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...So you noticed.

Yes. This outfit is my attempt to honor the Holy Grail's accords while complying with Chaldea's dress code.

It's based on simple, ancient Japanese clothing, and it's my way of paying my respects to outfits like omigoromo and chihaya, worn for holy rituals.

But I still have a long way to go before I can hope to measure up to my inspirations! That's why I sometimes inadvertently embarrass some of the people I come across...

There's no need to be so modest.

Just because society at large doesn't understand you doesn't mean you need to hide who you are.

I once went by a certain nickname, and now, I think it's only right that you go by it yourself.

From here on, you should call yourself...

The Commando Queen.

B-but, I'm NOT going commando!

Th-then again, i-if you of all people think I should...

I suppose I could at least think about giving it a

Gotcha.

God Flash!!!

Ghh... What...is this...?

I knew it.

You had another secret as well.

Erice!? Huh!? What's going on!?

Hmm. This isn't strictly accurate, but for the time being, let's just say she's been possessed by a demon.

You see, your body is overly acclimated to hosting things of that nature.

The beam of light I struck you with completely lowered your defenses and exposed the cracks in your heart.

Now, all the corrupt magical energy floating around Chaldea has been drawn to you to take advantage of them.

Huh? Then, you knew this would happen?

Of course. Oh, and before you get angry at me, you should know that it was a necessary sacrifice.

...Wait. That sounds like it might be someone else's catchphrase...

Let me rephrase that then. I had no choice.

I'm exhausted, and I didn't want to run around looking for that magical energy, so I thought I'd have it come to mewell to you, instead.

And you never thought to ask me first!? What kind of a teacher are you!?

Khh... My right hand... It's throbbing...!

Everyone, please...get away from me...! I can't...hold it back...much longer...!

I knew it. That's just how I thought you'd react.

Fujimaru.

Now that they've possessed her, this Bitter Shadow has managed a partial physical manifestation.

Firing my bazooka at them now isn't going to have much effect.

So I'd like all of you to neutralize Erice first.

Um, what exactly do you mean by "neutralize"?

Hit her until she stops moving. Obviously.

THAT'S your plan!?

You, uh, might want to rethink your methods a little bit going forward...

She's certainly not a sterling example of a fettered hero, is she?

E-even so, we still have to do what she says, at least for now!

Hang in there, Erice! I promise we'll save you!

Wonderful. Now that is true friendship for you.

I'm sure the Lord will be pleased to see you girls playing together like this, even if you do end up a bit bruised in the process.

Is the whole concept of remorse just completely foreign to you!?

Now! God Bazooka, fire!

Urk...

Thank you, Erice.

Chaldea is safe once more, and I couldn't have done it without your cooperation.

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Damn, that's kind of impressive. I wonder what you gotta eat to develop a skin that thick...

Illya, I'm sorry to ask, but would you mind taking her to the infirmary?

Also, you should probably just stay there while you're at it, if only to keep the, uh, "sacrifices" to a minimum.

Honestly, I'm not thrilled at being mixed up in this myself, but it's too late for me to back out now.

Th-thank you, Gil! Um... Good luck, I guess!

Don't you die on us, you hear!?

Um, I don't think we have to worry about that, at least...

Hmm... Well, I guess I won't be able to use that trick anymore.

Not that I was planning to do so again, anyway.

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Hehe.

Don't you remember what I said about her fabulous fashion sense?

I really like her style, so I wouldn't ever want to put her through the wringer...more than once a day.

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At any rate, that takes care of all the wicked magical energy in this area.

Which, unfortunately, also means the end of our fun break hanging out with those nice girls.

Still, that's a small sacrifice to make to protect Valentine's Day. Now come on, let's continue our search.