Section 13 "Records of the Enma-tei's Prosperity"

Heh, it seems the curse has been well and truly lifted. And all thanks to me, I daresay?

Fou, fou.

Hehehe, and not only that, they even said they'd accept our efforts to make amends as the offering...

...and gave us back all the magical energy we earned in the form of a Holy Grail!

Bahaha, I must say, that was quite generous of him! At least for a stingy Eastern Divine Spirit!

Uh-oh, I'd be careful about your choice of words. With an attitude like that, Lord Enma might just decide to change his mind and have you start all over again.

Oh, and remember, honesty is the best policy, okay?

The inn itself looks different now. It is as though the very building is brimming with a divine aura.

Because it was able to offer up all of the gratitude to the Tribute Hall, now that it's released from its bogus debt.

I'm pretty sure this means it has its old mayoiga power back, too. You couldn't ask for a better ending.

This would never have happened without your help. Tamamo. Kiyohime. Tomoe. Fionn. Diarmuid.

Goredolf. Mash. Fujimaru.

Thank you. On behalf of the Enma-tei, I can't thank you all enough, chirp.

I do feel bad that you ended up taking care of us when we were supposed to be taking care of you...

...but I learned a whole lot from this experience!

？！

Indeed. This may not have turned out to be the kind of pleasure trip we had in mind, but it was still one of the best New Year's I've ever had!

All that's left now is to contact Chaldea Base and have them Rayshift us home!

Geh!?

Uh, yes, about that. Mash. Fujimaru.

Given how hard we've been working, how about spending one more day at the inn just to relax and

Hello? Hellooo! I could have sworn I finally heard Goredolf's voice just now!

This is Sion Eltnam Sokaris calling from the Wandering Sea Chaldea Base! Do you read me already!?

If you do not hurry up and respond, I am just going to push this Force Return button! I swear I will!

It's Sion...! But, why is she calling us from a sparrow...?

Aaah! You there, sparrow! Was that...!? It is! Here, give me that thing you've got under your wing!

Chirp? You mean this?

I found it on the mountain out back, chirp. It has been making all sorts of awful noise every day.

Is this yours, sir? Chirp, why didn't you report it to lost and found?

Certainly you're old enough to know better by now, chirp.

H-how did I come to be lectured on personal responsibility by a sparrow!? And at age 29 no less...!

Then...you didn't have the comms device all this time, Lord Goredolf...?

I thought you refused to contact Chaldea no matter what because you were a brave commander, heroic as a Celt...

Did you know about this, Fujimaru?

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Hahaha, never mind that now. As they say, all's well that ends well!

Yes, if we had been able to consult with Da Vinci, Holmes, and Sion...

...we may well have managed to resolve the Tribute Hall problem in a matter of days.

But so what? There's nothing wrong with making a little side stop now and then.

And besides, we ended up solving a much bigger problem as a result, did we not?

Hellooo! My calculations confirm you should be able to hear me now, so under that assumption, please form up!

We have gone past our magical energy reserves, and are seeing errors in your existence verification...

...so I am going to bring you all back right now!

Our return Rayshift has begun...! Senpai, there's still one last thing we have to say!

？！

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Hehe. That's the best possible farewell I could have asked for, cheep.

The Enma-tei will never forget what you did for it. We and Chaldea have an undeniable connection.

If there's anything you feel I could help you with, I would be happy to fight by your side from now on.

Perhaps I could even be a Servant. Chirp! I have been practicing the greeting unique to them.

Though, that all depends on if Great King Enma gives his blessing. He can be kind of hardheaded at times, so it might take some work to convince him.

Regardless, you'll always be welcome here!

I'll have to keep stocking up on virtue and gratitude myself to ensure that good fortune comes to pass!

Well, it looks like this is goodbye.

Take care, Ms. Beni-Enma. I look forward to receiving your next lesson♡

I'll be taking my leave now too, Ms. Beni. Thank you for all your help♡

(What incredible social skills they both have... It's as though they are both birds taking flight without leaving so much as a speck on the ground!)

G-goodbye, Teacher! I promise I'll graduate from the beginner level next time!

Hmm. I suppose this was a positive outing, all things considered.

My reputation at Chaldea has improved, and I enjoyed my R & R at the Enma-tei thoroughly.

As far as I'm concerned, there has been no downside.

But what about you, Diarmuid? As far as I can tell, you don't seem to have gained much from this trip.

Don't be ridiculous, my lord.

What better reward could I ask for than to see my captain demonstrate his valor?

I see. Hahaha, well good, I am glad to hear it!

You're a fine warrior, Diarmuid, and a good man. Indeed, you are almost wasted on one so fickle as me.

Good. Okay everyone, it's time to see our guests off!

Chirp! Everyone line up! Send-off formation, go!

...Ahem.

I'd like to take this time to thank you all for staying at our inn.

We hope that this year brings you good fortune, and that you're able to welcome the next without incident.

Have a safe and wonderful trip! We sparrows will all be here, waiting for your next visit! Chirp chirp!

...You have GOT to be kidding me.

How could you lose your comms device during our very first Rayshift experiment!?

From now on, I am giving it to Mash instead.

Welcome back, guys!!!

Anything interesting happen on your Rayshift!? Tell me all about it!

Thank you, Da Vinci. It's good to be back. This Singularity was a hot springs inn called the Enma-tei...

...and its proprietress, who was really nice and great at her job, was actually a sparrow!

Unfortunately, she had been taken by a devious plan to slowly cheat her out of the inn over the last five hundred years...

Really!? Oh man, I can already tell this is gonna be good! Come on, let's go to the cafeteria!

You too, Fujimaru and Gordy! Come on!

Maaan, that sounds nice! You always get all the luck!

Heh. I can understand your envy, but I'm afraid you'll just have to resign yourself to it.

After all, Rayshifting is an entrancing experience reserved solely for those who...who...

Oh, who am I kidding! It was awful! If I wasn't stranded in the woods, I was on the verge of turning into a pig!

Nothing good can ever come of it! I'm never Rayshifting again as long as I live!

Damn, so Gordy went off to sulk, huh. Too bad; I was hoping to hear the story from as many points of view as possible.

But, oh well. He did just finish his very first Rayshift, after all.

Director Goredolf may like to complain, but I thought his adaptability was amazing.

It's no exaggeration to say that we couldn't have resolved this case without his help.

Right, Senpai?

That may be, but he was far from the only key person. You were an invaluable part of this operation as well.

Thanks to you, almost every loose end was neatly tied up. However...

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Hooowever! There's still one thing lacking resolution!

Isn't that right, Master? Yes, I know. No need to tell me.

Come, let's discuss this last "So what was that all about, anyway?" point in the cafeteria.

And of course, don't skip the hot green tea. I believe this story will be more than worth it.

...I'm glad we got to give everyone such a grand farewell...

...but now that the Enma-tei is back to normal, we're all busier than ever, and the sparrows alone just aren't enough to cover everything that needs doing.

I guess I have no choice but to ask Mother for help, much as I really, really wish I didn't have to.

Not her! Cheep, cheep, that wicked old hag will be the death of us! If you just need more help, I promise I'll work day and night to make up the difference!

Now, now, don't be silly. I'd never let you do that.

Work-life balance is very important, so I'll bring in some new employees to preserve that balance.

Chirp? In that case, what about the demonic monkeys? They're hard workers, right?

...I've heard of "thinking outside the box," but that's not just outside, it's outlandish.

Still... The monkeys have stopped making trouble. I wonder why they started in the first place...

Oh, this must be the place. I finally found it.

Pardon me, young lady. I couldn't help but overhear you talking about the monkeys.

I hope you can forgive them for any mischief they caused. I'm afraid I'm the one to blame for that.

...

I heard through the grapevine that there was a kind sparrow in dire straits, you see.

So I asked the monkeys to take some of my things to her in the hope that they might be helpful.

Unfortunately, it seems they kept forgetting the purpose of their trip on the way...

Still, they never brought the packages back to me, so I do think they left them where they were supposed to...

Did you receive them okay?

Chirp. Chirp... Chirp chirp.

Yes... Yes, I did.

Chirp! They were a huge help!

(Sniff)... Waaah!

Welcome back, sir...! I've been waiting for you for a long, long time...!