Ryougi Shiki.
As a native resident who had lived in Mifune City for over ten years, Ritsuka wasn't unfamiliar with the name—but she'd rarely heard it. After all, she had once been just an ordinary high school girl, her most distinctive feature being her naturally red hair.
She was, essentially, someone entirely disconnected from Shiki and the local aristocratic family like the Ryougis.
Of course, this was Ritsuka's first time meeting Shiki. Based on Naoki's description, she had imagined Shiki as a Yakuza-type figure—always carrying a knife, covered in tattoos, radiating the aura of a killer—since the Department Head had claimed she stabbed him daily.
But now that she'd met her, the reality was the complete opposite.
(She's so gentle…?)
So gentle, in fact, that it was impossible to imagine the woman before her was the same one who stabbed people with knives. On the contrary, she resembled the traditional Yamato Nadeshiko Ritsuka had only read about. Merely hearing her voice made Ritsuka's heart slowly calm.
"Department Head…"
Without thinking, Ritsuka raised her hand and spoke directly to Naoki.
"Is someone like this really close to you?"
[Why do you ask that?]
"Because I feel Ryougi-san is completely incompatible with you. It's like a princess belonging with a wandering adventurer."
[Ugh…]
Naoki's eyebrow twitched instantly—and Shiki chuckled softly. "A rather interesting analogy, Fujimaru—and surprisingly apt. But I know Natsukawa's nature well. He's simply not the type to be tied down to one place."
[Don't talk like I'm some untamed wildcat you can't leash. As long as nothing strange happens, I'm perfectly happy staying put—Oh, by the way, it's been ages, 'Shiki'.]
Though Naoki returned to Mifune once a month, he'd never actually met Shiki—because Shiki was always asleep. The last time they'd seen each other was eight years ago, right after he resolved his affairs with Tsuru.
"Yes, it has been a long time, Natsukawa."
Shiki nodded slightly, then turned to Angelica. "Prepare rooms for our two guests, Angelica. Since they're Natsukawa's guests, they are also ours."
"I understand, Ryougi-sama. Fujimaru-sama, Mash-sama, please follow me."
"Ah, y-yes! Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome." Shiki said, shaking her head gently. "Also, Fujimaru—if you don't mind—may I borrow your bracelet for a moment? There are some matters I wish to discuss privately with Natsukawa. I believe he feels the same."
"Eh? This…?"
[Give it to her, Fujimaru. I told you—you went there to rest. Don't worry about anything. Just relax fully. I do have private matters to discuss with her.]
Hearing the Department Head say that, Ritsuka quickly removed her bracelet and handed it to Shiki, then led Mash away, following Angelica.
After watching Ritsuka and the others disappear around the corner, Shiki closed the dojo door. Returning inside and resuming her seated position, she placed the bracelet before her. Moments later, Naoki's image materialized before her.
"Is this also an effect of Magecraft?"
[You could call it a fusion of technology and Magecraft. To you, it's merely a trivial trick.]
Naoki laughed.
[But more importantly, your appearance is the biggest surprise to me. Though I suspected you'd act, I never expected you'd remain so actively involved for so long… Are you sleeping again?]
Shiki nodded. "Yes. This incident was somewhat inconvenient. Alone, I couldn't manage it. So I lent a little assistance."
"A little assistance?"
At a time when the Incineration Order of Humanity had already occurred and all human history had been consumed by fire, she still preserved a single pocket of normalcy like Mifune City. That could no longer be described as "a little assistance."
Yet at the same time, Naoki knew this was something only Shiki could accomplish. Even he—even Rei and Manaka—could not replicate it now.
It was a miracle—one only Shiki could perform.
[You're truly extraordinary, 'Shiki'. You've maintained this alone.]
"It's not that difficult. Thanks to Angelica's Noble Phantasm, the protection granted to Mifune City is semi-permanent and fully automatic. All I contribute is a small amount of Mana to activate it." Shiki explained. "Compared to the future Natsukawa must face, this level of effort means nothing."
"But Natsukawa, there are several things I must explain regarding the future you will encounter."
[The future… You mean the Singularities?]
Shiki nodded. "According to your sequence, it should be the sixth. That Singularities has transformed into a situation utterly alien to you. When you go there, you must proceed with extreme caution."
The sixth Singularities… Holy Land of the Round Table?
Naoki recalled it was an IF scenario triggered because Bedivere failed to return Excalibur, preventing Artoria from returning to Avalon and forcing her to wander Earth eternally. After two thousand years of wandering, King Arthur became a Divine Spirit due to erosion from the Holy Lance.
But here, Bedivere had returned Excalibur. Artoria now resided peacefully in Avalon as a guest, occasionally reminiscing about the past with Merlin and learning about the outside world through the internet.
Thus, the Sixth Singularities Naoki knew would never occur.
Yet the Sixth Singularities still existed.
That meant…
[A Singularities I don't know about?]
"Yes. Unfortunately, due to certain reasons, I cannot reveal its details. But Natsukawa—only you can resolve this Singularities. No one else."
[Only I can resolve it… Hmm, I understand. Thank you for telling me, 'Shiki'.]
"You're welcome. Now, another matter—it concerns another Singularities that has emerged in this country. Its formation is connected to my situation here."
Shiki's words startled Naoki—connected to her?
"Precisely, it's an incident caused by a chain of coincidences and opportunities. To ensure time flows normally here, I used part of a Noble Phantasm linked to temporal control. Its effects interfered with the city's ley lines."
"And due to the interaction between the ley lines and the temporal Noble Phantasm—combined with the current incident—an anomaly has manifested in a past event."
[A past event? Do you know which one?]
"Yes."
"The year is Showa 20—the end of the Pacific War. The location is Imperial Capital Japan… which is modern-day Tokyo."
"The incident that occurred there is—"
"The Third Holy Grail War."