[3rd POV]
A solemn ceremony echoed through the empty corridors of Chaldea, honoring most of the staff members who perished in the devastating explosion that struck the humanity preservation organization.
At that moment, Olga Marie Animusphere not only carried the weight of all those deaths but also led an organization reduced to a fraction of its original resources.
It was impossible not to feel the burden pressing down on her shoulders.
But thanks to her new body, which granted her endurance and willpower she had never possessed before, bearing this burden felt slightly easier.
While some people found a spark of hope amid death, others simply couldn't process such an absence of life.
A clear example of this was the beautiful pink-haired girl beside Altair, who immediately caught the attention of the black-haired young man.
With just one look, it was evident she didn't seem accustomed to honoring the dead. It was almost as if she had never witnessed a funeral before, as though the very idea of mortality were foreign to her.
Deciding it was better not to interfere with her personal moment, the long black-haired boy chose to let Mash process her feelings alone.
A few minutes after the funeral, everyone headed to the cafeteria.
Upon seeing the food being served, Altair wrinkled his nose. Although he wasn't picky, cooking was one of his greatest talents, alongside theater in his past life., was the art of cooking. On the other hand, even loving everything related to art, he had to admit he possessed no musical sensitivity. His culinary taste was refined, but when it came to music, it was simply atrocious. In this case, he could only blame his ⟨Musical Deafness⟩.
Reminding himself that even the greatest stars had their flaws, his eyes returned to the food on the table. Honestly, instead of a simple rice dish that looked dry, he preferred something more flavorful. He even believed his culinary skills were on par with Emiya Shirou's, though he thought Archer could still give him a good fight.
Although, according to his younger sister, his food was a real danger to women. Ignoring the warning from that cherished memory, he raised both hands, clapping them together, drawing everyone's attention.
"Al-kun!?" Ritsuka tilted her head to the side, a bit surprised.
"Excuse me." Altair, without much explanation, moved about, grabbing all the rice bowls and balancing them perfectly on his arm.
"My food!" Romani shouted, extending his arm toward the young man. "Please, take me instead of it!" His words echoed through the cafeteria, but the boy with several bowls in his arms simply turned his back on him.
Jumping over a counter, he entered the kitchen, where, within seconds, he found a rather large storage room.
"Hmm." Despite Chaldea being in a state of emergency, there were countless supplies, ingredients, and seasonings.
[This is enough to last a year or even more.]
Nahida, in the wild-haired young man's mental space, was sitting on a tree branch, swinging her little white feet back and forth.
"For me, it's perfect." Altair raised his arm, holding it with his other hand and cracking his bones. "To start the first meal of the day, it has to be something simple... what do you think of homemade miso soup?" Asking for a second opinion, he stretched his fingers, cracking them as well.
[A good choice!]
Nahida raised her finger pressing her pink lips. From Al's superficial memories, it seemed quite delicious.
"Then let's go with miso." Moving between the warehouses, he grabbed all possible ingredients and took them to the kitchen.
On the counter, lined up in a row, there was soft tofu, wakame seaweed, chopped scallions, and a bowl of aromatic miso paste.
Confident in his ability, he quickly began boiling water in a pot.
As Altair prepared the miso soup, a delicious aroma began to fill the kitchen.
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"I didn't know Altair-senpai knew how to cook," Mash commented, adjusting the glasses on her face.
"It smells so good," Romani murmured, leaning on the table hungrily, forgetting for a second that his rice bowl had been kidnapped by the "terrorist monkey."
"Of course it smells good. My son isn't just a pretty face," Raikou shook her head, showing a proud smile.
"Pretty face? Altair?" Romani looked toward the kitchen. "That's not quite how I would describe him." He scratched his cheek with a smile.
To Romani, the black-haired boy seemed to be the type of person who would appear out of nowhere with a chaotic idea and a smile on his face.
That was his honest thought, but upon seeing Raikou's cold-as-an-iceberg stare, he turned his face away with slight fear of being cut down by this Servant who didn't seem quite right in the head.
"Really? I think Al-kun's face is quite beautiful," Ritsuka said, raising a finger and placing it against her lips.
Fortunately, she didn't notice Olga's disgusted pout at her words nor Raikou's displeased expression. The two girls who possessed a strong possessive desire didn't seem very pleased when another woman noticed the beauty of her son/benefactor.
"He has a kind of wild charm, don't you think, Director?" Ritsuka turned to the white-haired girl.
"I... well..." Olga, who wasn't prepared for this question, couldn't help but stutter.
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 awakened unpleasant feelings in her heart.
Temporarily ignoring those feelings, she parted her lips with her face still flushed. "Well... from a feminine 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, stunned by her bad luck. Without thinking, she banged her head against the table, hiding her red face. "Nobody." At that moment, she wished she could stick her head in the ground.
Meanwhile, Ritsuka covered her mouth holding back laughter, and Romani suppressed his own giggles, 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 sparkling at the sight of the bowl.
The smell of the soup made her mouth water. Without waiting even one more second, she picked up her chopsticks and dipped some rice into the miso soup.
When it touched her lips, an explosion of flavor spread across her palate. She felt her body grow warm inside... it was a pleasurable and slightly embarrassing sensation.
"Wow!" She raised her hands covering her flushed face. "So delicious," she murmured, feeling warmed inside.
Thinking she was exaggerating, Romani also tasted the soup. Instantly, a wave of rich flavor overwhelmed his taste buds.
"My God, how can miso soup be this good?" Following Ritsuka's example, Romani began devouring the soup.
Meanwhile, Raikou's eyes half-closed at this bunch of "animals" who didn't know how to appreciate her son's benevolence. But when the broth entered her mouth, her purple eyes widened. Feeling the broth descend down her throat, her cheeks gained a slight flush while her breathing became slightly heavy. Placing her hand over her lips, she muffled a soft, involuntary sound of pleasure, since the only man who could hear her sweet voice of pleasure was her son.
Mash and Olga, who were the only ones who had heard that slight moan, exchanged somewhat frightened looks. Even the maiden from the Heian era had succumbed to the flavor of the soup.
Swallowing nervously, the two also tried it. To no one's surprise, a small moan escaped their lips, leaving their faces red.
Meanwhile, Altair displayed a smug and satisfied smile. He didn't know why they were moaning, but he was used to it. His sister also reacted the same way, and he always looked at her strangely when she ate his food.
After a few minutes of this "beautiful symphony," Da Vinci arrived, looking at the group's flushed faces.
"What did I miss?" She raised a finger to her lips and tilted her head.
"Nothing," the five girls responded in unison. Ironically, Raikou was also among these girls.
"Alright then." Da Vinci shrugged. "The Guardian Heroic Spirit Summoning System, codename 'Fate', is ready." She crossed her arms over her breasts, emphasizing them. "I came to fetch 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."
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After breakfast, Da Vinci led the group through yet another of Chaldea's many corridors, heading to 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 and musty room, although he could see countless grooves snaking along the walls, illuminated by the corridor's light.
"Right, we can start now!" Da Vinci declared, clapping her hands. She turned to Ritsuka and Altair while Dr. Romani approached one of the consoles, already typing. Soon, the grooves on the walls lit up with a pale blue glow. "We'll conduct our summoning experiment."
"Summoning? We're going to summon Servants?" Ritsuka asked, curious.
"Correct!" Da Vinci responded. "This is a battle to save the world, one that requires a complete team." She patted Mash's head, who looked embarrassed. "That's where you two come in." With her other hand, she pointed to Altair and Ritsuka.
"This is interesting, although I don't think it's entirely necessary. I already have my Raikou." Altair smiled confidently, and his Servant mirrored his smile, feeling warm inside at her Master's words. At that moment, she had to resist the urge to throw herself into his arms.
What a peculiar Master-Servant pair, Da Vinci thought with a small smile.
"That said, even I don't 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 alone. Your magical energy would be exhausted in a few minutes." 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 in the center of the summoning circle," Olga ordered the pink-haired Servant.
After placing the shield, Olga took out nine small 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 summon only one." She turned to the two Masters, arms crossed.
"Me! Me!" Ritsuka raised her hand excitedly, looking at Altair. "May I?"
"Of course." Altair stepped aside, yielding the place to her.
Ritsuka stepped forward while Olga walked beside her and handed her a sheet of paper.
"This is Chaldea's summoning ritual."
She opened the paper and began reciting aloud:
"Hear my words! My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, then follow the path of humanity and answer me! Seventh Heaven clothed with the great words of the astrologers... Come, utter your judgment and punish my enemies... Guardian of the Scales!"
The circle orbited beneath Ritsuka's feet, forming a clear ring of light. The ring spread and rose, embedding itself in the circuit-like grooves on the walls around them. Two more overlapping rings appeared.
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 erupted from the ground, shooting through the opening in the ceiling.
"Well, well. Summoned as a Caster again... Ah, wait a second... I know you two."
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Don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review or drop a comment to motivate me.