Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
{[Dimensional Chat]
James: Fate
Alfonzo: Fate
Lici: Fate
Tatsuo (Admin): Fate
Akatsuki: I guess that means we'll be going to a fate world
Akatsuki: What's a fate world?
Violet: I'd like to know, too
Aletia: Same
Tatsuo (Admin): A world where the chance of fighting ancient heroes from the past is almost a foregone conclusion
Akatsuki: Seriously?
Akatsuki: That sounds kind of impressive
James: It is
James: Unfortunately, it's not that simple
Violet: What do you mean?
Lici: Because of something called the Throne of Heroes, the heroes we might have to fight in this Holy Grail War could be the sum of all their legends
Alfonzo: Then, you gotta turn that up to eleven
Alfonzo: Because the legend you get is not only the original legend but all the telephone that people have played through the ages, too
Akatsuki: That sounds really bad
Akatsuki: How is anyone supposed to hold up against someone like that?
James: I could
James: Alfonzo and Elicia could, too
James: And if Tatsuo goes all out, he could, too
James: Unfortunately, the rest of you aren't on that level yet
Violet: So, does that mean that the rest of us should sit out this one?
Alfonzo: Not necessarily
Alfonzo: I'm pretty sure you're strong enough to take the role of a Master
Alfonzo: James was only mentioning the ones strong enough to be Servants
James: Bingo
Lici: It might be a bad idea for Aletia to go either way, though
Aletia: Why?
Lici: If you go as a Servant, you would be at a huge disadvantage
Aletia: Master
Alfonzo: Lici's right
Alfonzo: Going as a master would lead to a whole nother list of problems
Violet: What do you mean?
Akatsuki: It's because she's not human, right?
Alfonzo: Exactly
Tatsuo (Admin): She'd probably be mistaken as a True Ancestor
Tatsuo: (Admin): And that would make her an Elemental
Tatsuo (Admin): So, she would be under Gaia's control
Violet: The Greek Primordial Goddess of Earth?
Tatsuo (Admin): Not exactly
Tatsuo (Admin): Gaia is the will of the planet in that world
Akatsuki: This world is complicated
Akatsuki: Either way, we need to pick two people to go
Akatsuki: So, who's going?
Tatsuo (Admin): I'll be back to talk about this later
Tatsuo (Admin): The graduation ceremony is about to end}
With that, Tatsuo closed the [Dimensional Chat] for the time being. Then, he sat through the end of the graduation ceremony, making sure to clap and smile at appropriate times. All the while, he was thinking about the upcoming [Mission], and who would be selected to go.
'Now that I think about it, I only know about two Holy Grail Wars with a Servant that lasted from the previous war.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'The Fifth Holy Grail War in the Fate/Stay Night timeline and Fate/Apocrypha. I wonder which one the [Mission] will happen in, though... Wait... What is this feeling?'
While Tatsuo was simply going through the motions, he suddenly felt a change in the atmosphere in the school's gymnasium, where the graduation ceremony was being held. And when he looked for the reason behind the change in atmosphere, he could only smile wryly.
Currently, nearly half of the school's female population was looking at him like some kind of predators. Meanwhile, Mai, who did not like what she was seeing, looked as if she was about to explode.
'We really should have made her stay at home for this one, shouldn't we?' Tatsuo thought to himself while making eye contact with his mother, who was holding Mai by the back of her neck to keep her from rampaging. 'Oh well, this is kind of on us for not thinking about this beforehand.'
At the same time, Yakumo, Chiho, many of the teachers, the girls who were not lost in their desire to confess to Tatsuo, and a large number of the male population of students also felt the change in atmosphere. However, those girls who were fixated on Tatsuo were completely unaware of Mai's weak killing intent that was washing over them.
'Well, at least she's holding back.' Tatsuo said to himself, deciding to look at this silver lining in this situation.
'Sumire-San's assistant is so scary.' Chiho thought to herself while looking at Mai with worry.
Yakumo, on the other hand, was not bothered by Mai's killing intent. Instead, she was looking at the girls focused on Tatsuo.
'I don't like this feeling.' Yakumo thought to herself. 'At the same time, I kinda of feel proud. But why?'
Despite all the confusion, the end of the graduation ceremony went off without a hitch. Eventually, all the students and their families were gathered outside of the school, dotting the courtyard between the school's front entrance and the school gates.
However, Mai's flaring murderous intent grew more and more untethered as she, Tatsuo, Sumire, Kasumi, Tio, and Ayane walked down the path leading to the gate. Though, the reason for that had nothing to do with any of the ladies.
Instead, it was because nearly every girl the group passed confessed to Tatsuo. And even though Tatsuo turned them all down politely, Mai was reaching her boiling point.
"All these damn thieving cats--- ow!" Mai said before she shrieked in pain when Sumire pinched her thigh.
"Stop it, Mai-Chan." Sumire said sternly. "People are starting to notice. Are you trying to make us run from the cops because of you? Do you want Tatsu-Chan to be taken away by Child Protective Services?"
Immediately, Mai's hostility disappeared. Then, she put on a perfectly behaved smile. Though, the murderous glint in her eyes never disappeared completely. It was much better hidden, though.
"How do you all put up with this woman?' Ayane asked while looking at Mai disdainfully.
"Eh… You get used to it." Tatsuo replied. "You just have to stop paying attention to her most of the time. Sooner or later, Mom will put her in her place, and everything will go back to normal."
Kasumi and Tio nodded their heads in response.
"I see." Ayane said while shaking her head. She then looked at her sister with a bit of sympathy for the first time in years. "It looks like life on the outside will be harder than I expected."
"Like Tatsuo-Kun said, you'll get used to it." Kasumi said with a gentle smile on her face. "Besides, Mai-San isn't that bad. At the very least, now that you're part of the family, you can count on her to have your back, no matter what."
"Well, I guess the saying is true." Ayane said after thinking about what Kasumi said for a moment. "Even a broken clock is right at least two times a day, huh?"
"I suppose it's not wrong to look at it that way." Kasumi replied with a slight giggle.
"I've never heard that one before." Tio said as she used her fan to cover the lower half of her face. "Perhaps I shall adopt it into the list of sayings I use in the future."
"Wait, did she just call me broken?" Mai asked in a tone filled with disbelief. "Why would you say that?"
Tatsuo, Sumire, Kasumi, Tio, and Ayane decided to pointedly ignore Mai's question. Even Tio, who was interested in being dominated by Tatsuo, knew when and where she could let her... preferences out to the world. And no matter what, she had no wish to destroy Tatsuo's public persona.
"Tatsuo-Kun~~~!"
The conversation was broken when a familiar voice called out to Tatsuo. It also had the added effect of causing some of the girls who wanted to try their luck with Tatsuo to back off for a bit, as well.
"Chi-Chan." Tatsuo said with a smile after looking in the direction of the voice.
As Tatsuo said, Chiho, along with a middle-aged man with black hair and brown eyes wearing a police uniform, and a middle-aged woman with brown hair and eyes, walked towards him while waving and smiling happily.
"My mom and dad wanted to thank you and Yakumo-Chan for helping me study for the last two terms." Chiho said as she and her parents approached.
"So, you're the Tatsuo-Kun we've been hearing about." The woman, Sasaki Riho, said with a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And just as Chi-Chan said, we would like to thank you for helping her so much, even though you just transferred during the second term yourself."
"Yes, it must have been difficult trying to keep up with your own studies in your situation." Chiho's father, Sasaki Senichi added with a smile of his own as he reached out for a handshake. "Truly, we would like to thank you for all you've done to help our daughter."
"Please, don't' worry about it." Tatsuo said as he accepted Senichi's handshake. "Chi-Chan is one of the few friends I have at school. So, helping her was only right. Besides, since I was a bit ahead of the curriculum, it was no trouble at all."
"You're truly a remarkable student." Senichi said as he released Tatsuo's hand. He then turned his attention to Sumire as he continued. "And it's good to see you again, as well, Soramoto-San. It's too bad you haven't been active as a private investigator recently. Our station could use your help."
"Well, as you know, I only entered that field to find my Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said as she wrapped her arms around Tatsuo's. "And since I found him, there's no reason for me to keep up that work. I already have enough work while dealing with my record company, after all."
"I guess that's true." Senichi replied with an understanding nod. "Still, you made our jobs a whole lot easier when you were active."
"By the way, where is Yakumo-Chan?" Chiho asked, interrupting the conversation. "My parents wanted to thank her, too."
"Oh, she's dealing with boys right now." Tatsuo replied. But since her sister is with her, she'll probably be done soon, I guess."
As if they were waiting for Tatsuo to say that, a pair of teenage girls also approached the group.
"Wow! You're so popular, Yakumo-chan.!" Tenma said excitedly. A moment later, however, her mood dropped. "No boys have ever asked me out. Karasuma-Kun doesn't even notice me."
"It will be okay, Nee-San." Yakumo said quietly. "You just have to keep trying and not give up."
"Yakumo-Chan, you're right." Tenma said, bouncing back almost immediately. "I'll never give up. I'll tell him how I feel someday."
"That's the spirit, Nee-San." Yakumo said, a small smile spreading across her face at the sight of her energetic older sister.
"Yakumo-Chan~~~!" Chiho called out, drawing both Yakumo's and Tenma's attention. "Hey! Over here!"
"Chi-Chan!" Tenma cheered, greeting the younger girl before her sister could. "Congratulations!"
With that, Tenma ran over to the group and hugged Chiho excitedly. Meanwhile, Yakumo continued at her own pace. Even so, it did not take long before she, too, joined the group.
After that, Riho and Senichi also thanked Yakumo for helping Chiho with her studies. Then, Sumire invited everyone present to come with them to a restaurant to celebrate.
Unfortunately, Senichi could not come with them, as he had to return to work. However, everyone else joined the celebration and the group went to a restaurant together. After the meal, Tatsuo walked Yakumo and Tenma to their house while Chiho and Riho walked to the subway station to return to their own home.
Then, after seeing the Tsukamoto Sisters to their front door, Tatsuo, while heading back to his apartment, opened up the [Dimensional Chat] once again to see if a decision had been made on who was going on the [Mission].
{[Dimensional Chat]
Tatsuo (Admin): Yo, I'm back
Violet: Welcome back, Tatsuo-Kun
Violet: Congratulations
Akatsuki: Congratulations
Akatsuki: Though, it feels a little empty when we know just how smart you actually are
Aletia: 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊㊗️
Tatsuo (Admin): Thanks
James: Well, it was probably just a matter of course for him
James: Still, congratulations for making it through
James: I'm glad I skipped middle school all together, though
Alfonzo: I spent my middle school years taking A and S-Rank Quests
Alfonzo: Sitting in a classroom feels like a serious hassle
Lici: Me, too
Lici: Still, Congratulations
Alfonzo: Yeah, Congrats
Tatsuo (Admin): Thanks
Tatsuo (Admin): Anyway, did you guys make any headway on who would be taking the mission?
James: Yeah, we already made the decision
Tatsuo (Admin): Who?
Violet: You and Lici-San
Lici: You can use Chan, you know?
Lici: But yeah, it will be you and me, Tatsuo
Lici: I'll be the master and you the servant
Tatsuo (Admin): I'm not complaining
Tatsuo (Admin): But I've been on the other two missions, already
Tatsuo (Admin): Didn't anyone else want to go?
Alfonzo: It has to be you
Alfonzo: You're the only one who can do the most important things
Tatsuo (Admin): ?
Akatsuki: You have to save that girl, Sakura
Violet: Agreed
Aletia: So sad
James: Yeah, you could purify those crest worms inside of her
James: Should be able to get rid of Zouken, too
Alfonzo: Honestly, someone should have gotten rid of him a long time ago
Tatsuo (Admin): Oh, you guys figured out which Fate timeline it was
Tatsuo (Admin): How?
Lici: Fate/ Stay Night is the only one with both a corrupted grail and a lingering servant from the last war
Lici: Apocrypha has a lingering servant, too
Lici: But no tainted grail
Tatsuo (Admin): I see
Tatsuo (Admin): I probably would have figured that out too if the graduation wasn't going on
Alfonzo: Probably
Alfonzo: Anyway
Alfonzo: ON top of saving Sakura, you could also purify the grail
Alfonzo: That way, you would be able to get a wish, too
James: No trip to the root, though
James: Stupid mage families not considering that only a servant can touch the Greater Grail but the power of seven servants is needed to punch through to the root
Tatsuo (Admin): But if we kill Gilgamesh, that should be seven, right?
Tatsuo (Admin): Will that count?
Alfonzo: Now that I think about it, I don't know
Alfonzo: Maybe?
Alfonzo: In UWB they destroy it anyway, even after killing Gilgamesh and leaving Saber as the only servant
Lici: The do the same in the Fate route
Lici: But that's because it was tainted in both routes
James: Well, you guys get to find out, don't you?
Tatsuo (Admin): I guess we do
Tatsuo (Admin): Anyway, I got the next 11 days off
Tatsuo (Admin): So, we can get started whenever you want, Lici
Lici: Let's start in two days
Lici: I have a few orders to finish before we go
Lici: That way, I won't have to think about where I left off when I get back
Tatsuo (Admin): Sounds good to me
Tatsuo (Admin): I'll spend tomorrow recording then, I guess
Tatsuo (Admin): That will be the last track for the album, anyway}