Prologue: Back to the Night

N-ngh...

Where am I...?

... ...

No, wait. I know this place... This is the Chaldea Security Organization.

And I...

... ...

Hm, so THIS is Servant materialization. I've heard of it before, but...

So, if this is really happening, then where's the Master who summoned me...?

Oh!

Aha! I thought I sensed someone being summoned...

And look who it turned out to be.

Don't get confused. We have never met, and we have no shared memories...at least, not yet.

But never mind that now.

It appears we're both Heroics Spirits from the same world and of the same alignment... This may be fate.

Welcome, stranger from another land. I'm

Excuse me. I was speaking. What have I done to deserve a sucker punch?

Huh, you dodged that? I guess you're not just another degenerate then.

Body blow, body blow, and another body blow to finish the combo!

Ahh, I never even dreamed of using my fists, but now, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.

I suppose it's possible you're the Master who summoned me...

...but we can work that out after I've taken you down!

I'm sorry... I had no idea you were a Chaldean Servant, too.

Good. I'm glad you've calmed down.

Everything would have been for naught if you had managed to erase me.

I'm really, really sorry... For some reason, I was just seeing red...

Um...how's your gut? I think I managed a literal ton of force in each of those three strikes...

Not to worry. I'm resistant to physical attacks, and I'm used to both external and internal injury.

And on top of that, I also reinforced various parts of my body with God Love so as not to repeat last year's mistake.

Uh, did you just say "God Love"?

Oh, right. I'm sorry. You only just arrived.

What I meant to say is that I'm shielding myself using unsold chocolate from last year.

Now, getting back on track...

You've got nothing to worry about. As you can see, there's not a suspicious hair on my head.

I am Amor, a Divine Spirit and Chaldean Pseudo-Servant.

I'm sure you've heard of me, since I'm known around the world as a god of love.

Amor... As in, the Roman god of love?

I never expected a Divine Spirit like you would have answered Chaldea's summons, too.

But, um...why the paper bag, then?

Life isn't all about what you can see with your eyes alone.

Truly innovative fashion always struggles to find a foothold in the modern world.

I'm sure the first person to use an umbrella must have seemed absurd when everyone was used to getting drenched in the rain.

I can only look eagerly forward to the future when all who seek anonymity make use of paper bags like this one.

But never mind that. More importantly...

I take issue with your behavior earlier.

For you to attack the first thing you see after being summoned as a Servant is a serious matter.

Why, it could result in people mistaking your class.

Could it be that you never received information about Chaldea from the Throne of Heroes?

Oh, no, I've got all that stuff down pat.

I just seem to have some...preconceptions about Servants that I can't seem to get over...

Ahh... Now I see. So your vessel's personality is causing this.

The body you've chosen appears to belong to a mage who was deeply involved in a Holy Grail War.

I'm not surprised that anyone familiar with that particular ritual would be wary of Servants.

... ...

You know, intellectually, I understand that lots of Servants have been gathered here to protect humanity...

...but I still can't quite bring myself to believe it.

Is the situation really so desperate that it requires that much sheer Servantpower?

Yes, it is.

Every Heroic Spirit here was summoned for the shared purpose of protecting humanity.

Even a major event like, oh, say, Valentine's Day isn't enough to distract us from our goal.

...I see.

It looks like you all really do believe in your cause. That's reason enough for me to give it my blessing.

Whoever my Master is, I'm sure they must be a wonderful, upstanding person.

Speaking of Master, where are they right now? Are they with their other Servants?

If I'm going to be fighting alongside them from now on, I at least need to introduce myself.

You never get a second chance at first impressions and all that.

Oh my... I don't know what to say.

I feel like I'm watching a proud new college graduate, excited for their first day of work, unaware of the toxicity of their new company's work environment.

Still... Yes, I'm sure you'll be shocked once you meet them.

Chaldea certainly is chock-full of heroes and Divine Spirits from past and present, near and far.

Forget having enough for a baseball team. There are enough Servants here to form a whole league.

(So, like, nine Servants times twenty teams?) Wow. That many?

Oh yes. There's Ishtar from Mesopotamia... Pārvatī from India...

And from the Celts, there's Fionn mac Cumhaill, Fergus mac Róich, and...

Cú Chulainn.

... ...

...Did you say Cú Chulainn?

Yes. Is that a problem?

Ulp...

...

...

No, no, what am I thinking? I'm a Divine Spirit sworn to protect humanity!

I just can't see him yet! It's out of the question!

Oh? Where are you going?

I need to get away from this place for a while and sort some things out.

A trip... Yes, I need to go on a trip. Please don't look for me.

Huh, you're reacting even more strongly than I expected. I didn't think it would be anywhere near this bad.

All right then, in that case...

...would you be willing to let me handle this?

I just thought of a great plan that's sure to put your mind at ease...

Ahem.

So, as you guys know, we have some kind of incident or other right around Valentine's Day. Every. Single. Year.

At this point, we can basically treat it as an inevitability.

So, to prepare for that, we decided to take this opportunity to summon a new Servant.

The idea was to eliminate any possibility of a spontaneous summoning by temporarily using up Chaldea's resources.

Furthermore, by knowing where this Servant will show up, and being prepared for anything in advance...

...we thought we would be able to contain the situation with a minimum of trouble.

Fo fooou!

We had just finished our preparations, and the only thing left was to do the actual summoning. But then

I know...

I still can't believe a new Servant was summoned here before we could make our move, right before Valentine's Day.

Fooou...

？！

You think? Well, hearing you say that does make me feel a little better.

You see... Well, this is probably no surprise, but we've got something of a situation on our hands.

This happened just last night, right after the new Servant was summoned.

We have evidence someone helped this Servant Rayshift.

I can't imagine a newly summoned Servant even thinking to try something like that, let alone actually pulling it off.

So, someone here at Chaldea must have helped.

Well? Anything to say for yourself?

You make it sound so...accusatory.

Yes, I'm a god of love, but I'm also a woman of the cloth.

So what's wrong with offering guidance to a little lost lamb?

？！

To preserve her privacy, I will avoid going into detail, but suffice to say she was unable and unwilling to meet a certain someone for personal reasons.

I sensed she was going to need a very good reason to see him☆

That's when I had a flash of divine inspiration.

When planning "chance" encounters, what better holiday than Valentine's Day?

If they didn't already have a reason to meet, all I had to do was manufacture one.

No matter how much of a hopeless negative Nancy someone might be about their social prospects...

...getting ahold of some of the best chocolate in the world would obviously be all the reason they need to see the person they wanted.

I mean, we're talking about the world's best chocolate here. Who wouldn't want to share it?

This way, there would be as much need for excuses as there is for extra calories: zero.

Anyway, that was my suggestion.

Ufooou...

So that's why you chose sixteenth-century Europe for their destination.

That was right around the time that cacao and chocolate-making were first introduced there.

As I recall, chocolateor xocolatl, as it was originally knownwas extraordinarily popular among the upper crust at the time.

Unfortunately, I never got to taste it myself back then, but I can easily imagine it being a big trend.

Those aristocrats were suckers for anything new, after all.

But Amoror should I say, Ultimate Devil Carendidn't you notice?

Huh?

It's said that xocolatl first came to Europe around 1528.

But it looks like you Rayshifted the new Servant to some time a little before that.

Oh. Whoopsies.

？！

So then, even though this new Servant went there looking for chocolate, she won't find any at all?

Yes, that sucks for her, but I'm afraid we've got another separate but related problem now.

As luck would have it, we just happen to have a new minute Singularity popping up...

...at exactly the time and place the Servant in question went...

？！

Ultimate Devil Caren.

I'm sorry, but would you mind calling me by my preferred name, "Cruel Angel Caren"?

... Cruel Angel Caren.

Yes?

You have some idea of what's going on here, don't you?

Yes.

Um... We are going to need more from you than that...

For a Servant, securing a supply of magical energy is a constant problem.

You're going to disappear if you keep using Independent Action like that without some kind of plan.

So before I sent her on her way...

...I gave her a Holy Grail I happened across and have held onto this past year. You know, for the road.

You WHAT!?!?

Sorry, Fujimaru, but it looks like it's up to you to save Valentine's Day yet again.

Your mission this time is to find the Rayshifted Servant, repair the minute Singularity...

...and recover the Holy Grail obtained through illicit means!

？！

No, I'm not mad. I'm just concerned about how quickly things are already going off the rails.

Oh, right, I almost forgot. There's one thing I need to warn you about.

Obviously, you'll be Rayshifting to the same time period as this new Servant so you can go after her.

But, thanks to the minute Singularity that just spawned there, it'll be really tricky to get you there at exactly the same time.

It's only been a night here for us, but I'd bet at least a few days have gone by in the Singularity by now.

I don't know what effect those lost few days will have, but just be aware of that going in.

Good luck, Fujimaru. We're all counting on you.

？！

Now that's what I like to hear.

As for who'll be going with you...

...these are the two Servants we selected to help you fix this.

Hello. It's me, Medusa.

...Are you sure you want me to accompany you? I feel like there are any number of Servants who'd be better suited to help you on a field mission...

？！

...Okay. Thank you, Master.

I won't be much good at talking to locals or gathering information, but I'm sure I can be useful in battle.

...I don't like this.

Urk.

Oh no, I don't like it one bit.

Why in the world did you go with the little Medusa, of all Servants?

Yes, why would you pass us over in favor of the little Medusa?

S-Sisters... W-well, um...

If I may... Did you two want to come along on this mission, too?

Hehe. Is that what you got from that? I must have sounded more worked up than I thought.

Of course we don't want to bother with that kind of hassle. This has nothing to do with that.

Whether we're going or not, Mash, we'd still like to be picked.

Exactly. Then we can turn down the request elegantly, like the goddesses we are.

You said it, "me." So again, why did you choose the little Medusa instead?

Yes, it's so infuriating. Just what were your criteria, anyway?

Oh gosh, oh gosh...

That's enough, you two. Your joking has gone far enough.

I understand you're worried about your cute little sister, but you mustn't make trouble for Master like this.

Oh my. Look, "me." It's the stubborn goddess who's always working too hard.

So it is, "me." The one with no sense of humor whatsoever.

Master, Stheno and Euryale have no interest in protecting others. They only care about being protected.

They would never have been a good fit for an expedition. But not to worry.

For this mission...

I am Astraea, Lady Justice, and I shall accompany you!

？！

Hehe. Between the Rogue Servant search and the minute Singularity, I can't see this being a particularly romantic Valentine's Day.

But nonetheless, rest assured that I am nothing like that goddess of Venus who tries to resolve everything through desire and brute force alone.

I will resolve this matter quickly, elegantly, and above all, without resorting to physical violence, as befits a goddess of my standing!

Oh wow!

(...The way she said it...)

(...kinda feels like, somehow, in some way...)

(...she's going to end up doing...)

(...the exact opposite...)

？！

Yes? Is there something you all wish to say to me!?

Oh no, not at all. We know you'll do great out there.

Okay, everyone, I think that's enough breaking the ice.

Let's get ready to Rayshift, shall we!?

I'll stay behind and support you all, Senpai.

Please be careful out there, okay?

I'm sorry I can't go with you, but I'll make sure you all at least have plenty of chocolate waiting for you when you get back!

？！

O-oh. Okay.

Understood. Then I'll make sure to only work as hard as I have to!

Ahem.

So, as you guys know, we have some kind of incident or other right around Valentine's Day. Every. Single. Year.

At this point, we can basically treat it as an inevitability.

So, to prepare for that, we decided to take this opportunity to summon a new Servant.

The idea was to eliminate any possibility of a spontaneous summoning by temporarily using up Chaldea's resources.

Furthermore, by knowing where this Servant will show up, and being prepared for anything in advance...

...we thought we would be able to contain the situation with a minimum of trouble.

Fo fooou!

We had just finished our preparations, and the only thing left was to do the actual summoning. But then

I know...

I still can't believe a new Servant was summoned here before we could make our move, right before Valentine's Day.

Fooou...

？！

You think? Well, hearing you say that does make me feel a little better.

You see... Well, this is probably no surprise, but we've got something of a situation on our hands.

This happened just last night, right after the new Servant was summoned.

We have evidence someone helped this Servant Rayshift.

I can't imagine a newly summoned Servant even thinking to try something like that, let alone actually pulling it off.

So, someone here at Chaldea must have helped.

Well? Anything to say for yourself?

You make it sound so...accusatory.

Yes, I'm a god of love, but I'm also a woman of the cloth.

So what's wrong with offering guidance to a little lost lamb?

？！

To preserve her privacy, I will avoid going into detail, but suffice to say she was unable and unwilling to meet a certain someone for personal reasons.

I sensed she was going to need a very good reason to see him☆

That's when I had a flash of divine inspiration.

When planning "chance" encounters, what better holiday than Valentine's Day?

If they didn't already have a reason to meet, all I had to do was manufacture one.

No matter how much of a hopeless negative Nancy someone might be about their social prospects...

...getting ahold of some of the best chocolate in the world would obviously be all the reason they need to see the person they wanted.

I mean, we're talking about the world's best chocolate here. Who wouldn't want to share it?

This way, there would be as much need for excuses as there is for extra calories: zero.

Anyway, that was my suggestion.

Ufooou...

So that's why you chose sixteenth-century Europe for their destination.

That was right around the time that cacao and chocolate-making were first introduced there.

As I recall, chocolateor xocolatl, as it was originally knownwas extraordinarily popular among the upper crust at the time.

Unfortunately, I never got to taste it myself back then, but I can easily imagine it being a big trend.

Those aristocrats were suckers for anything new, after all.

But Amoror should I say, Ultimate Devil Carendidn't you notice?

Huh?

It's said that xocolatl first came to Europe around 1528.

But it looks like you Rayshifted the new Servant to some time a little before that.

Oh. Whoopsies.

？！

So then, even though this new Servant went there looking for chocolate, she won't find any at all?

Yes, that sucks for her, but I'm afraid we've got another separate but related problem now.

As luck would have it, we just happen to have a new minute Singularity popping up...

...at exactly the time and place the Servant in question went...

？！

Ultimate Devil Caren.

I'm sorry, but would you mind calling me by my preferred name, "Cruel Angel Caren"?

... Cruel Angel Caren.

Yes?

You have some idea of what's going on here, don't you?

Yes.

Um... We are going to need more from you than that...

For a Servant, securing a supply of magical energy is a constant problem.

You're going to disappear if you keep using Independent Action like that without some kind of plan.

So before I sent her on her way...

...I gave her a Holy Grail I happened across and have held onto this past year. You know, for the road.

You WHAT!?!?

Sorry, Fujimaru, but it looks like it's up to you to save Valentine's Day yet again.

Your mission this time is to find the Rayshifted Servant, repair the minute Singularity...

...and recover the Holy Grail obtained through illicit means!

？！

No, I'm not mad. I'm just concerned about how quickly things are already going off the rails.

Oh, right, I almost forgot. There's one thing I need to warn you about.

Obviously, you'll be Rayshifting to the same time period as this new Servant so you can go after her.

But, thanks to the minute Singularity that just spawned there, it'll be really tricky to get you there at exactly the same time.

It's only been a night here for us, but I'd bet at least a few days have gone by in the Singularity by now.

I don't know what effect those lost few days will have, but just be aware of that going in.

Good luck, Fujimaru. We're all counting on you.

？！

Now that's what I like to hear.

As for who'll be going with you...

...these are the two Servants we selected to help you fix this.

Hello. It's me, Medusa.

...Are you sure you want me to accompany you? I feel like there are any number of Servants who'd be better suited to help you on a field mission...

？！

...Okay. Thank you, Master.

I won't be much good at talking to locals or gathering information, but I'm sure I can be useful in battle.

...I don't like this.

Urk.

Oh no, I don't like it one bit.

Why in the world did you go with the little Medusa, of all Servants?

Yes, why would you pass us over in favor of the little Medusa?

S-Sisters... W-well, um...

If I may... Did you two want to come along on this mission, too?

Hehe. Is that what you got from that? I must have sounded more worked up than I thought.

Of course we don't want to bother with that kind of hassle. This has nothing to do with that.

Whether we're going or not, Mash, we'd still like to be picked.

Exactly. Then we can turn down the request elegantly, like the goddesses we are.

You said it, "me." So again, why did you choose the little Medusa instead?

Yes, it's so infuriating. Just what were your criteria, anyway?

Oh gosh, oh gosh...

That's enough, you two. Your joking has gone far enough.

I understand you're worried about your cute little sister, but you mustn't make trouble for Master like this.

Oh my. Look, "me." It's the stubborn goddess who's always working too hard.

So it is, "me." The one with no sense of humor whatsoever.

Master, Stheno and Euryale have no interest in protecting others. They only care about being protected.

They would never have been a good fit for an expedition. But not to worry.

For this mission...

I am Astraea, Lady Justice, and I shall accompany you!

？！

Hehe. Between the Rogue Servant search and the minute Singularity, I can't see this being a particularly romantic Valentine's Day.

But nonetheless, rest assured that I am nothing like that goddess of Venus who tries to resolve everything through desire and brute force alone.

I will resolve this matter quickly, elegantly, and above all, without resorting to physical violence, as befits a goddess of my standing!

Oh wow!

(...The way she said it...)

(...kinda feels like, somehow, in some way...)

(...she's going to end up doing...)

(...the exact opposite...)

？！

Yes? Is there something you all wish to say to me!?

Oh no, not at all. We know you'll do great out there.

Okay, everyone, I think that's enough breaking the ice.

Let's get ready to Rayshift, shall we!?

I'll stay behind and support you all, Senpai.

Please be careful out there, okay?

I'm sorry I can't go with you, but I'll make sure you all at least have plenty of chocolate waiting for you when you get back!

？！

O-oh. Okay.

Understood. Then I'll make sure to only work as hard as I have to!

By the way, Mash, there's something else I'm wondering about.

Right. I'm wondering about it, too.

... ...

...Where exactly did Caren go?

By the way, Mash, there's something else I'm wondering about.

Right. I'm wondering about it, too.

... ...

...Where exactly did Caren go?

Fooou...