[3rd POV]
There was a small ceremony in honor of Chaldea's victims. According to Olga, the organization had lost 70% of its staff and now operated with fewer members.
Olga seemed a little overwhelmed, but thanks to her new body, she was better able to handle her responsibilities. During the ceremony, Mash's strange expression stood out. She didn't seem used to this kind of event; in fact, it looked like she had never attended a funeral before.
Thinking it best not to interfere, Altair decided to let Mash process her feelings alone—it was the most appropriate thing to do at that moment. After the brief funeral, everyone headed to breakfast.
When he saw the "food" being served—just plain rice—Altair wrinkled his nose. Although he wasn't a picky eater, one of his few talents in his past life was the ability to cook well.
Altair, on the other hand, had no musical sensibility whatsoever. His taste in cuisine was refined, but when it came to music, it was nothing short of atrocious.
He would've preferred something more flavorful, and even if his cooking skills weren't on the same level as Emiya Shirou's, he believed he could put up a decent fight.
With that thought in mind, he slammed his hand on the table, drawing everyone's attention.
"Altair-kun!?" Ritsuka tilted her head, surprised.
"Excuse me," he said, grabbing everyone's rice bowls.
"My food!" Romani cried out, stretching his arms toward him, but Altair turned his back without mercy.
Jumping over the counter, he entered the cafeteria and headed straight to the kitchen, where he found a fairly large storage room.
"Hmm!" Despite being in a state of emergency, there were countless supplies, ingredients, and seasonings—enough to last a year or even longer.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a slight smile.
"For a first meal, let's start with something quick and simple… a homemade miso soup will be more than enough. Should take around 15 minutes." Confident in his abilities, he quickly gathered several ingredients and carried them to the kitchen.
Lining them up on the counter—silken tofu, wakame seaweed, chopped scallions, and a bowl of aromatic miso paste—he began boiling water in the pot.
As Altair prepared the miso soup, a delicious aroma started to fill the cafeteria.
"I didn't know Altair-senpai could cook," Mash commented, adjusting her glasses.
"It smells so good," Romani murmured, leaning on the table hungrily, forgetting his rice bowl had been hijacked by the "wild boy."
"Of course it does. My retainer isn't just a pretty face," Nobunaga said, leaning her chair back and staring at the ceiling.
"Pretty face!? Altair?" Romani glanced toward the kitchen. "That's not really how I'd describe him." He scratched his cheek with a smile. To Romani, Altair seemed like the wild type who would smile even as his limbs were being torn off—so long as he was enjoying himself.
"Really!? I think Altair-kun's face is quite nice," Ritsuka said, raising a finger and placing it against her lips.
Fortunately, she didn't notice Olga's pout of displeasure at her words.
"He has a kind of wild charm, don't you think, Director?" Ritsuka turned to the white-haired girl.
"I… well…" Olga wasn't prepared for that question.
Of course, she thought Altair was handsome, but just thinking about admitting it made her blush. And hearing the red-haired Master say it out loud stirred unpleasant feelings in her heart.
Temporarily ignoring those feelings, she opened her lips, her face still flushed. "Well… from a female perspective… yes, I suppose he is handsome…"
"Who's handsome?" Altair entered the dining area carrying several bowls of miso soup.
Olga looked at the young man and blinked, dumbfounded by her misfortune. Without thinking, she slammed her head against the table, hiding her red face. "No one." At that moment, she wished she could bury her head in the ground.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka covered her mouth, holding back laughter, and Romani suppressed his own snickers, afraid of being scolded by the director.
"Alright then." Losing interest, Altair waved his hand and gently placed six bowls of miso soup in front of the group, accompanied by bowls of seasoned rice.
"Oh!" Ritsuka stopped laughing, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the bowl. The smell of the soup made her mouth water. Without waiting another second, she picked up her chopsticks and dipped some rice into the miso soup.
As it touched her lips, a burst of flavor exploded across her palate.
"Wow!" She raised her hands, covering her blushing face. "So good," she murmured, feeling warm inside.
Thinking she was exaggerating, Romani also tasted the soup. Instantly, a flavor explosion hit his taste buds.
"My God, how can miso soup be this good?" Following Ritsuka's lead, Romani began devouring the soup.
Nobunaga placed a hand over her lips, stifling a faint moan.
Mash and Olga exchanged glances, slightly afraid. Even the war maiden had fallen to the soup's flavor.
Gulping nervously, the two also tried it—and just like the others, a small moan escaped their lips, leaving their faces red.
Meanwhile, Altair wore a smug, satisfied smile. He didn't know why they were moaning, but he was used to it. One of his few friends in his past life reacted the same way, and he always stared at her weirdly whenever she ate his food.
A few minutes later, Da Vinci arrived, looking at the group's blushing faces.
"What did I miss?" She raised a finger to her lips and tilted her head.
""""Nothing.""""
The five—excluding Nobunaga—replied in unison.
"Alright then." Da Vinci shrugged. "The Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System, codename 'Fate', is ready. I came to collect our two Masters."
"Fate?" Altair tilted his head.
"Hehehe! Fate is simply a Servant summoning system developed by the Chaldea Security Organization to summon Heroic Spirits." She smiled and turned toward the door. "Follow this universal beauty."
•••
After breakfast, Da Vinci led the group through yet another of Chaldea's many hallways, heading toward a specific destination. It didn't take long to arrive, and when the doors opened, Altair was greeted by a strange sight.
It was a dark, musty room, though he could see countless grooves threading along the walls, illuminated by the corridor light.
"Alright, we can begin now!" Da Vinci declared with a clap. She turned to Ritsuka and Altair as Dr. Roman approached one of the consoles, already typing. Soon, the grooves on the walls lit up with a light blue glow. "Let's perform our summoning experiment."
"Summoning!? We're going to summon Servants?" Ritsuka asked curiously.
"Correct!" Da Vinci replied. "This is a battle to save the world, one that requires a full team." She said, patting Mash's head, who looked embarrassed. "That's where you two come in." With her other hand, she pointed to Altair and Ritsuka.
"That's interesting, though I don't think it's entirely necessary. I already have my Nobu." Altair smiled confidently, and Nobunaga mirrored his grin.
What a peculiar Master-Servant pair, Da Vinci thought with a small smile.
"That said, not even I think I could sustain an entire army of Servants," Altair added, poking his own head.
"Obviously. You couldn't handle a full squad of Servants on your own. Your Magic Circuits would be drained in seconds." She bent slightly at the waist, raising a finger. "But don't worry about that. That's a problem for humanity's greatest genius."
Olga rolled her eyes at the proud Servant.
"Mash, place the shield at the center of the summoning circle," Olga interrupted, ordering the pink-haired Servant.
After placing the shield, Olga pulled out three multicolored stones.
"What are those?" Altair asked, curious.
"They're Saint Quartz. They'll serve as catalysts. Chaldea generates about nine per week, and three are needed for a single summoning. So, in short, we can perform three summonings." She placed the Saint Quartz on top of the shield. "Who's going first? The first will summon two Servants, while the second will only summon one." She turned to the two Masters, arms crossed.
"Me! Me!" Ritsuka raised her hand excitedly, looking at Altair. "Can I?"
"Of course." Altair stepped aside, giving her the spot.
Ritsuka stepped forward while Olga walked beside her and handed her a sheet of paper.
"This is Chaldea's summoning ritual."
Ritsuka nodded, took the paper, and stood before the summoning system.
She opened the paper and began to read aloud:
"Heed my words!
My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny.
If you heed the Grail's call, then follow humanity's path and answer me!
Seventh Heaven clad in the great words of stargazers… Come forth, pass on your judgement, and punish my enemies... Guardian of the Scales!"
The orb circle spun beneath Ritsuka's feet, forming a clear ring of light. The ring spread out and rose, embedding into the circuit-like grooves on the surrounding walls. Two more rings of light appeared—one above and one below. The three rings then rushed toward the center, where the summoning circle glowed, followed by an explosion of light. Ritsuka staggered backward as a geyser of pure mana burst from the ground, shooting up through the opening in the ceiling.
From the light, a voice echoed:
"Well now. Summoned as a Caster again... Ah, wait—oh, it's you all."
••• ••• •••
A/N: I decided not to summon too many Servants in this volume, because it would be difficult to manage too many characters on screen for now. But after the next Singularity, both Masters will summon far more than just three Servants.
Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me.