Atalanta.
Hearing Aoko say the name, Naoki paused for a moment before replying.
[It's just a coincidence. Servants are duplicates split from a Heroic Spirit in the Throne of Heroes. In theory, multiple instances of the same Heroic Spirit can exist simultaneously. The Atalanta you saw might be a case like that—a new Servant summoned from a Spirit that already has another manifestation.]
"I see. That explains why she didn't seem to recognize me... By the way, I didn't see Atalanta in Avalon. Didn't you call her there? What about Shiki and Angelica too?"
[They'll be fine. You know how Shiki is. Even if I ordered her, she wouldn't come—she's incredibly stubborn about this sort of thing. But I'm confident they'll be okay.]
Though he said that, Naoki had actually already explained the situation to Shiki. And after hearing it, Shiki gave him an answer that put his mind at ease.
Knowing Shiki would take action on her own, Naoki chose to let her be. Otherwise, he'd have to drag her to Avalon—and possibly get chased and slashed across several city blocks by her in the process.
Hearing Naoki's words, Aoko also felt slightly relieved. "Good, then. In that case, let's continue... Huh? Why is your face so pale, Fujimaru?"
"Huh? W-what?"
Ritsuka, suddenly snapping back to reality, quickly waved his hand. "I'm fine! Just thinking about something. Please, go on—"
"If something's on your mind, it's better to speak up now." Aoko interrupted. "I understand if there's something you don't want to say, but hiding small secrets now might cause bigger problems later... Was there something I said that made you curious?"
"Yes." Ritsuka nodded. "But less of a secret, more like... I'm just shocked and having a hard time believing it. Um... I want to confirm this—Ryougi Shiki and Atalanta, the ones the Department Chief and Aoko-san just mentioned—do they live in Misaki City?"
[Yes. Why? Wait... Fujimaru, do you actually know Shiki and Atalanta?]
Ritsuka awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "I don't really know Ryougi Shiki, but Atalanta... Atalanta-sensei has been my teacher since elementary school."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really."
Aoko and Naoki exchanged glances, both seeing the shock reflected in the other's eyes. Atalanta was Ritsuka's teacher? And had been teaching him since elementary school all the way to now?
Wasn't this just too much of a coincidence?
[I'm surprised. I've never heard Atalanta mention you.]
"I've never heard from her that she's married either... Well, actually, I can tell she is. Every month, there's one week when sensei completely disappears. And when I visit her house, I sometimes find men's clothes there..." Ritsuka looked directly at Naoki, his expression a mix of disbelief and dawning realization. "Department Chief... as impossible as it sounds, could it be that sensei's husband... is you?"
Meeting Ritsuka's complex gaze, Naoki immediately nodded.
[Yes, that's me. Though I haven't actually married anyone yet—engaged at most. So, Fujimaru, from now on, you don't just have to call me Department Chief... you can also call me your teacher's fiancé—your 'teacher's future father-in-law,' if you will.]
"..."
Ritsuka felt like he was trapped in a dream. Why did every woman he met have such a deep connection with his Department Chief? Was there a single one who wasn't somehow tied to Naoki? Was Naoki just that ridiculously entangled with women?
Even the most cliché light novels he'd ever read weren't this absurd!
Meanwhile, upon hearing Ritsuka's revelation, Aoko narrowed her eyes. "Hoo. Atalanta vanishes for a whole week every month? There's no way I can just ignore that... Naoki, you also return to Japan for a week every month, don't you?"
[Yes. Didn't I tell you guys years ago? Oh, right—you were rarely home, so you probably didn't know.]
"..."
For the first time, Aoko regretted her years of wandering. Though she trusted Naoki wasn't the type to make the first move, he was incredibly weak against women who did take the initiative. And unfortunately, both Merry and Rei were definitely not the types to stop him!
"Naoki. Remember this. I will collect on this properly later."
[Understood.]
Naoki, completely oblivious and unaware of why Aoko said that, nodded casually—he was used to Aoko suddenly demanding payback like this. Either way, in the end, he'd be the one benefiting.
It was like effortless profit. No—more accurately, a win-win solution.
Putting aside the bizarre connection between Naoki, Atalanta, and Ritsuka, Aoko returned to the previous topic. "Then, based on the description I gave, can you guess the true name of the other Servant besides Atalanta, Naoki?"
[It's obvious. The clues are more than enough. Black armor, wielding a staff, shouting [Arrrr]—it's definitely Lancelot, no doubt about it.]
"Are you serious, big brother?"
At the mention of Lancelot, Mash, who had been silent until now, instantly grew serious. "Is the other Servant truly Sir Lancelot?"
[At least in my memory, he's the only one who fits. I fought him during the Holy Grail War twenty years ago. The impression he left was unforgettable. What's wrong, Mash? Excited already?]
Taking a deep breath, Mash placed a hand over her heart. "Perhaps. At the very least, the power granted to me by Sir Galahad is reacting similarly... I'm sorry, everyone. If we meet Sir Lancelot, could you please leave him to me?"
As one of the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot had ultimately destroyed his own homeland alongside a sorceress. Though the details remained unclear, Mash could feel the power within her continuously expressing dissatisfaction toward her "father's" actions—the betrayal that tarnished the honor of knighthood.
Aoko shrugged. "If you want to fix the Singularities, you'll inevitably have to fight against Sorceress Jeanne and others. A battle with Lancelot is unavoidable. Of course, it'd be better if you're the one to handle it."
"Oh, by the way—speaking of Sorceress Jeanne—there's someone I think you should really meet."
"Someone? Who?"
"Jeanne."