Fireworks Wait for No One
At this time, on the bridge outside, the organizers had already lit the fireworks.
The ground around flashed with streaks of light, accompanied by the sound of bursting blossoms. People watching from the park smiled as they looked up at the sky.
What no one knew was that behind the park, on a small hill, a group of boys and girls were engaged in a harsh battle.
On the mountain steps sealed off by illusion magic, the surrounding magical beasts revealed their fierce emerald-green eyes and stepped forward, drawing closer.
At the top of the stone steps, on a platform, stood a pavilion.
Atop the pavilion, a demonized red giant dragon was coiled. The dragon's wings had crystallized into pale red structures.
As it continued to absorb the magical energy from the interdimensional space, their color gradually darkened.
A closer look revealed that it had no forelegs—only a long, stretched neck. Magic energy gathered at its mouth, radiating a terrifying aura, as if it were about to unleash another red breath attack like before.
At that moment, Da-chan flew out and said nervously, "Everyone! The data on the topmost dragon has been analyzed.
Its class is Lancer.
As a subspecies wyvern, it has undergone mutation. Its crystallized wings have become magical energy absorption converters.
With continued magical amplification, it has now reached the level of a full dragon species. If left alone, it will only grow stronger.
Please resolve the battle as quickly as possible!"
From below, more than ten arrows imbued with magical energy flew upward toward the top of the stone steps, aiming straight for the dragon's head.
It turned out that Yukinoshita, possessed by Atalanta, and Asuna, possessed by Berserker-class Minamoto no Raikou, were holding longbows and had launched several successive volleys of arrows at the giant dragon.
Just as the arrows were about to fly across the long flight of stairs and strike the pavilion, small magical beasts on the platform leapt out in waves.
Every arrow was blocked by these beasts throwing themselves into their path.
On the sloped stone stairway, the dragon atop the pavilion sensed danger. It retracted its long neck and lowered its body, hiding itself in a blind spot below, completely out of view.
"Shirou, our angle is totally blocked. Looks like climbing the mountain to kill the dragon isn't going to work," Asuna said, frowning and putting away her bow.
"What should we do? My Noble Phantasm can cover the entire area from the sky, but for a dragon with such high defense, I can't kill it in one strike," Yukinoshita added.
"Is there a stronger Heroic Spirit, with greater burst power? One that can finish the dragon before it releases another breath?" Shirou pondered aloud.
"No choice—I'll handle the defense! Senpai, everyone, please hurry and find a way to finish it!" Mashu shouted, raising her shield.
But even her Noble Phantasm wasn't all-powerful, especially in this constrained world. If faced with an extraordinary-level attack, her defense could very well be breached.
"Yuigahama, this one's on you now!" Yukinoshita shouted to the bun-loving girl who was still standing off to the side, meat bun in hand, staring at her phone in a daze.
"I'm thinking about which character to summon…" Yuigahama murmured, noticing that her FGO system had a new Servant available.
Annoyed, she stuffed the rest of her meat bun into her mouth and pulled out her phone, grumbling, "Ugh, seriously! I wanted to finish watching the fireworks with everyone, then stroll through the food stalls! I wanted to eat sweet candied apples!"
Just then, a golden-framed Servant in the FGO system lit up, actively responding to the girl's summon.
A white light enveloped her. In the mental world, the Servant and the girl began to communicate.
Appearing before Yuigahama was a girl with long yellow hair and two horns.
"Ibaraki-Douji! Quick—help me defeat the demonic dragon on the mountain!" Yuigahama said excitedly.
"Ehh… I kinda wanna go play at those food stalls first," Ibaraki-Douji replied lazily.
"Ibaraki! I know, okay! I'll take you to eat delicious stuff, so please help me deal with the monster on the mountaintop first!" Yuigahama begged the demon girl inside her.
"Hmph… Eh… Fine. First, tell me—what yummy things are there?" Ibaraki-Douji paused, rolled her eyes around, then couldn't help but ask.
"Let's see…" Yuigahama recalled what she saw earlier while browsing the food stalls.
First, there were the classics—cotton candy, candied apples, sticky rice dumplings. Then freshly stir-fried yakisoba and fried noodles. Hot oden was also super delicious.
Because they were by the water and the cold wind kept blowing, freshly steamed meat buns and fried foods were also very popular.
On the other side of the park, someone had set up a charcoal grill. Skewers of grilled chicken and grilled sparrows rotated over a low flame, slowly roasted to a crispy exterior and tender interior. Even the tiny bones inside were grilled to a fragrant crisp that could be chewed and swallowed. Based on customers' preferences, a layer of honey or spicy sauce could be added.
For customers who didn't like meat, the vendor enthusiastically recommended baked sweet potatoes from another stove. When peeled open, they revealed steaming, vivid orange flesh. The sweet scent immediately spread through the surrounding area for over ten meters.
The whole area was filled with the fragrance of food. Even passersby who hadn't originally planned to watch the fireworks couldn't help but salivate and drift over unconsciously.
And after watching the fireworks, they were all going to Shirou's house to celebrate Komachi's acceptance into the international high school.
There, they would have a cake covered in cream, chocolate, and strawberries, as well as various dishes Shirou had carefully prepared. These included Roman-style grilled meats learned from Red Saber, and the Chinese cuisine he was already so good at.
Even though she couldn't quite put it into words, in that spiritual world, the images Yuigahama imagined in her mind clearly and convincingly transmitted to Ibaraki-Douji.
At this point, the blonde oni girl was already drooling. She looked at the bun-loving girl and praised her:
"Yuigahama Yui! Though thou art a human, thou truly art an expert in delicious food! I like thee very much! I want to take thee back to Mt. Ooe to be our personal cook!"
"Hehe, thanks. Honestly, I'm just an expert at eating good food. When it comes to cooking, you'll want Shirou or Yukino to do it," Yuigahama said, scratching the back of her head shyly after being praised.
"No need! Being good at eating is enough! We'll just catch the ones who can cook and make them do it!" Ibaraki-Douji declared.
"So then, Ibaraki-Douji, are you willing to help me now?" Yuigahama asked.
"Of course! Watch me take out the enemy fast, and then we'll eat all the yummy stuff together!" Ibaraki-Douji's eyes lit up as she cheerfully agreed.
"Mhm! I'm counting on you, Ibaraki!" Yuigahama said as she willingly let the combat-specialized Servant take control of her body.