When Gawain blinked open his sleepy eyes, the first thing he saw was a sky full of swirling yellow sand rushing past overhead. The next thing he saw was Ritsuka Fujimaru's face, full of concern.
"Ah! Master! You're awake!"
"…Uh, oh… wait, what did you just call me?"
This sudden situation left the half-awake, sluggish Gawain completely frozen for a moment. After a few seconds, he finally realized what Fujimaru had said, his eyes widening in confusion.
Damn it, she still remembers that?!
Every time he recalled what the Bloodstained One did while possessing his darker self, Gawain wanted to dig his toes into the ground out of embarrassment—hard enough to drill a hole.
No, stop. Maybe he should just cut ties with that Bloodstained One here and now, and pretend he didn't even know Fujimaru?
But just as he was thinking this, Fujimaru looked up at him with a pitiful expression, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Master… it hasn't even been that long since we last met. Do you really not want to recognize me anymore? Do you want to pretend our past bond never existed? How cruel… what's a poor maid to do…?"
"Okay, okay, stop, stop!" Faced with her theatrics, Gawain raised his hands in defeat, dark lines forming across his face.
"Don't do this, alright? I'm not denying you! I surrender, okay?"
"Yay!" Seeing his response, Fujimaru cheered and leapt onto him, hugging him tightly.
"I was worried I wouldn't see you again in this Singularity, but here you are! I'm so glad! I missed you so much, Master!"
This version of Gawain, however, was just a fledgling—his real-world self who hadn't spent much time with girls. Being suddenly hugged so tightly by a girl, without warning, made his body stiffen up instantly. He fumbled awkwardly before finally raising his hands in a sign of surrender.
"Uh… yeah, I missed you too… but, you know, men and women shouldn't be so… physical. Could you maybe let go first?"
"I won't!" Fujimaru replied firmly. "I gave you such a passionate hug, and your response is so cold. Won't you hug me back?"
"…Fine, whatever."
Seeing that she had no intention of letting go, Gawain sighed, finally returned her hug lightly, then patted her shoulder to signal her to release him.
"Anyway, I definitely don't plan on denying you… but please, I beg you—stop calling me Master. That title is the fault of some future version of me, not the me standing here."
Behind them, Mash, Hinako, and Da Vinci exchanged complex, faintly judgmental looks, making Gawain's skin crawl as he hurriedly disavowed his other self.
"I'm a proper gentleman, alright? I can't handle being called that. Please, stop."
"Hmph… he actually dares say that." Hinako scoffed softly, then whispered to Da Vinci,
"Honestly, I don't believe him. Anyone who'd want to be called Master by Fujimaru… even if it was his future self—could he really be a good person?"
"Well, not necessarily," Da Vinci whispered back. "As far as I know, there have been cases where a younger version of someone deeply despised their future self. So it's not impossible."
"Oh, good point." Hinako rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Besides, you're a Heroic Spirit whose gender doesn't even match your living self."
Da Vinci only winked playfully. "Ehehe."
"Anyway… have we still not contacted Roman yet?" Hinako muttered, glancing at the endless sandstorm. "Shouldn't Chaldea at least explain this mistake? We were supposed to be teleported to Jerusalem."
"…Communications are unstable. I'm sure the Doctor is already working on it," Mash sighed.
"It's fine, this happens every time. I'm used to it." Fujimaru smiled. "But hey, we've run into Gawain-senpai again! Fixing this Singularity will be a breeze!"
In the end, under Gawain's insistence, she finally switched to calling him "senpai"—after all, she'd already achieved her goal.
While her clingy behavior really did come from being happy to see Gawain again, it also carried a bit of scheming: by acting close, she hoped to secure his help for Chaldea. Since he'd already proven reliable in past records, he would no doubt be a key ally again.
But her confidence only made Gawain scratch his cheek awkwardly.
"Um… sorry to disappoint, but this version of me is still a rookie. My power isn't on par with my future self. I'll help however I can… but please don't expect too much. Honestly, even Artoria might be more dependable right now."
"Huh? Lady Artoria from Fairy Britain is here too?" Fujimaru's face lit up.
"Yeah… I can sense her presence in this Singularity. Not just her—some of my companions might be here as well."
"The Fairy Kingdom crew is so reliable!" Fujimaru cheered. "I'd love to visit it someday and see what it's like."
"…Better not."
Gawain turned his head away silently.
Not only would Fujimaru's arrival make things awkward between them, but—well, Fairy Britain wasn't exactly something to show off. Even after staying there so long, Gawain wasn't sure he wanted its residents to embarrass themselves before Proper Human History.
"Fou, Fou!"
At that moment, the white creature on Mash's shoulder suddenly turned toward the storm, barking a warning.
"Fou senses something in the sandstorm!" Mash said sharply. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
And so began the typical FGO ritual: 'Had your meal? No? Then let's fight first.'
This time, their enemies were Eye Demons, Soul-Eaters, and Chimera-class beasts—not particularly strong. Hinako could have wiped them all out with a single Noble Phantasm, but the desert's harsh winds convinced her to hold back. Instead, the others took the lead.
With Gawain, Mash, and Da Vinci working together, the fight ended quickly.
"See? I told you. My strength's just average right now—just a regular frontline fighter. Don't expect too much from me," Gawain said, pulling his spear from a Chimera's corpse.
"No way, Gawain-senpai, you're too modest!" Fujimaru's eyes sparkled. "That move where you skewered two Eye Demons at once was amazing! And then you held back two Chimeras all by yourself!"
"She's right," Mash nodded. "Without you, Da Vinci and I might've been overwhelmed."
"But your technique…" Da Vinci tilted her head. "Even though you're from Fairy Britain, your spear style looks like Chinese martial arts. Hinako, you noticed that too, right? As a Chinese Heroic Spirit, you'd recognize it?"
"Ha? Recognize his spear style? No way! You think I know martial arts? I don't need that for combat, okay?" Hinako rolled her eyes. "And hey—who are you calling a Heroic Spirit? Are you cursing me to die, Da Vinci?"
Seeing her temper flare, Fujimaru quickly stepped in to calm her.
"Easy, senpai. Da Vinci didn't mean anything by it. But think about it—you fought alongside Lord Xiang Yu, one of China's undisputed top Heroic Spirits. It's natural for people to think you're one too."
"…Fair enough."
Hearing the name Xiang Yu and the phrase top Heroic Spirit, Hinako's mood improved instantly, and she settled down.
"…As expected of our reliable Master," Da Vinci whispered approvingly. "You're the only one who can calm her down."
But then Da Vinci's gaze sharpened, turning toward the storm.
"Wait. I hear wings beating. This one… is strong."
No sooner had she spoken than a monstrous figure emerged from the storm—a lion-bodied creature with a golden mask covering its face, twin wings sprouting from its back. Its powerful muscles rippled with explosive strength, its front claws thick as Gawain's waist, and magic radiated from its body like heat waves.
"A Sphinx! An Egyptian divine beast!" Da Vinci called. "Everyone, all-out! This thing is powerful!"
"No, wait a second," Gawain said suddenly.
"Since it carries divinity… how about I take this one?"
"Huh?"
Before anyone could respond, Gawain's figure blurred as he charged straight at the Sphinx.
After all, one of the reasons he hadn't invoked his Dragon-Rider self—an almost invincible asset in saving humanity—was to gain some hands-on awakening experience.
And this Sphinx, with its divine nature, was a perfect target for him to hunt.
Besides, if he remembered correctly, Sphinxes only fought with their claws—making this a fight he could handle.
Or so he thought—until the beast suddenly opened its metal jaws, and in the very next second, a searing beam of light blasted out, hurtling straight toward Gawain's head.