[FMMIKA] Chapter 241: Chaldea Security Organization

"Hmm?"

In another timeline opposite to Artorius's, where humanity had been wiped out and only a secret base remained.

Beneath the Antarctic ice lay a mysterious organization for the preservation of human order, known as the 'Chaldea Security Organization'.

Amidst the chaos, fear, and the gradual encroachment of chaos by busy work, fatigue, and the active suppression of leadership figures. Within Chaldea, a man who was now serving as the temporary director displayed a subtle and peculiar expression.

"Pseudo Singularity?"

Just now, through Chaldea's device known as the Near-Future Observation Lens 'SHEBA', the man discovered a tiny and wondrous 'anomaly'.

"Is it a new Singularity...?"

Anyone could see through the nature of the brown-haired man who was innately frail. He furrowed his brow and grumbled in distress.

"But the response is very weak. It seems like the kind that can be left alone and will self-destroy by itself... so, can we really ignore it?"

"Do we need to allocate resources... should we have Ritsuka lead a team... But... wouldn't that interfere with the main mission?"

The man began to agonize.

Those who knew him even a little knew that Romani Archaman was always an indecisive guy. When faced with a minor issue, he would be torn like he was now.

Speaking of which, his personality was originally ill-suited for leadership, more suited to listening to orders of others and running back and forth, like a diligent corporate worker. But because of the turmoil in Chaldea before, all those who were more talented, capable, ambitious, and powerful than him had died.

Forced into a corner, there was no other option.

This contemplation lasted for several minutes.

Just as he subconsciously wanted to take off his gloves and bite his nails, or call for help from the virtual idol 'Mari-chan', the automatic door to the command center 'swished' open.

The man turned to look and saw three other influential figures of Chaldea walking in.

Currently, the only Master in Chaldea was a normal girl named Fujimaru Ritsuka. With her red hair and a personality like a little devil.

Then there was her Servant, Mash Kyrielight. The sole survivor of Chaldea's Demi-Servant experiment, and currently Chaldea's top combat asset.

The moment he saw her, Romani couldn't help but furrow his brow.

A strong sense of dissonance washed over him.

This girl, dressed in frosty silver armor and equipped with two longswords, would lead anyone to think of a knight or a swordsman at first glance. But her actual class was Shielder.

And beyond that, as the 'physician' responsible for maintaining Mash's physical functions, he was more familiar with her than any other staff member.

In his memory, the girl was a shy and timid child. Although, in front of some familiar friends, she might show her strong or weak side, most of the time, she was as fragile as he was.

But now, she had become very assertive and decisive.

'Is it because of something that happened before?'

'A complete change in Mash...'

'But what could it be?'

'If I ask her, she won't say...'

Romani felt concerned about the girl's future. This worry and his unease even surpassed the relief he felt about her physical recovery.

Originally, due to Chaldea's inhumane Demi-Servant experiments, the girl's body had been severely damaged which made her have a short lifespan. Even with Chaldea's medical capabilities, they couldn't extend her lifespan.

But now, Mash Kyrielight was completely different.

Her body was extremely healthy. No diseases, no hidden problems, no issues of any kind. Conservatively estimated, she could live to be a hundred and twenty.

This should have been a good thing, but...

'Why is it?'

'Why is someone helping her?'

'And also, what is his or her purpose?'

With these thoughts, Romani's inner dissatisfaction grew.

Originally, he had a good relationship with Mash. The girl would consult him about almost anything.

But now, the girl was clearly holding back from him.

Although logically speaking, when a girl reaches a certain age, these things do happen, but...

"But in Chaldea, Mash shouldn't... is it really because of some guy? I wonder who that rascal is..."

Mumbling these words, Romani felt as if someone had raided his own cabbage patch.

"I should find an opportunity to have a good talk with Mash."

He resolved himself once more. At the same time, the trio that entered the room had already greeted him.

"Oh, Romani."

"Heya, Doctor Roman."

"Doctor."

The second voice that sounded carefree belonged to Ritsuka, while the last belonged to Mash.

The first voice was the one who resembled a punk aristocrat. Dressed in a bizarre outfit and exuding an aristocratic aura reminiscent of the Renaissance, yet inwardly a total pervert.

His—or rather, her name was Leonardo Da Vinci. At the same time, she was currently Chaldea's technical specialist.

Clearly a man, but because 'he' was a pervert, 'he' used the body of 'Mona Lisa' when responding to the summons and became a 'she'. It was due to this idiotic reason that she caused countless troubles for everyone.

That physical sensation that said 'Yes' mixed with the mental sensation that said 'No'. That was the feeling of being torn when looking at Da Vinci. Knowing that the other person's true self was a man, but having a female body that could be considered gorgeous.

'Thank goodness I have Mari-chan. I won't be attracted to 3D women.'

Whenever he thought of this, Romani was extremely grateful.

"Oh, it's you guys."

Romani forced a smile as he responded to everyone's greetings and was promptly teased by them.

"What's wrong, Doctor? You look so gloomy early in the morning. Did you get dumped?"

"Senpai, don't say things like that about Doctor. He doesn't even have a girlfriend."

"If it's a virtual idol, then he does have one. So technically, he has a girlfriend. Right?"

"Is that really okay?"

"It's okay, Mash. But I think there are probably a lot of otaku who treat Magi☆Mari as their girlfriend, right? So it's more like a virtual girlfriend?"

"No, that's called a shared girlfriend."

"That sounds kinda kinky~"

"..."

At the same time, as the girls joyfully discussed among themselves, Romani bit his lip.

'No, don't cry Romani!' He reminded himself. 'Even if the love between me and Mari-chan isn't understood by the world, it's still... it's still...'

"Alright, alright, let's talk about business." Da Vinci, who was acting as the big sister, intervened just in time to stop Mash and Ritsuka from bullying Romani. She asked, "I've prepared Mash and Ritsuka for deployment, is there any problem, Romani?"

"Uh, well, about that..."

"So, there is some problem then?"

"..."

"Yes."

When it came to serious matters, Romani temporarily forgot about being bullied by them and put on a serious face—although he still looked frail and easy to tease.

"In fact, SHEBA just detected a new Singularity..."

So, Romani briefly explained the situation—but even so, Ritsuka, who was still relatively new, looked like she only half understood.

"Anyway, we have a new mission, right? Don't worry; I've got it covered!" Ritsuka said confidently.

Ritsuka patted Mash on the back. She looked very self-assured. "After all, my little eggplant is invincible!"

"Senpai, I'm not an eggplant... by the way, in the last battle, you almost lost to King Arthur."

"Ahaha, but we won in the end, right?"

They were talking about the events of the previous 'Singularity' known as 'Singularity F', the burning and destroyed  Fuyuki City. In that apocalyptic war, they faced a formidable and terrifying enemy theoretically difficult to defeat—the corrupted Artoria Pendragon, empowered by the Holy Grail.

Initially, even with the help of some Servants from that era, they were at a disadvantage. But in the end, Mash managed to defeat Artoria through sheer determination.

"Although they said a lot of puzzling things, it doesn't matter, hahaha."

'Is it natural optimism, broad-mindedness, or just plain foolishness?'

Watching Ritsuka hugging Mash's shoulders and laughing somewhat foolishly, both Romani and Da Vinci, as adults, couldn't help but think that way.

"So, Doctor, what do you mean...?"

"I've already prepared for the first Singularity expedition. But now, there's a new Singularity, so I'm not sure..."

"Will this Singularity cause harm if left unattended?" It was Ritsuka who raised her hand to ask.

"Well, no, actually, if left alone, it will disappear on its own."

"Then why not just leave it alone?"

"But..."

"But, we can gather a lot of valuable materials from it. This is essential for Chaldea's development." In a situation where Romani was stammering and unsure of what to say, Da Vinci smiled and spoke. "But, you see, the plans that have already been made shouldn't be changed now. So, let's wait until after the successful expedition of the first Singularity before investigating this new one."

"Oh, okay. Da Vinci's plan is the best after all. Let's go with that."

And just like that, Romani's undecided matter was quickly decided.

Afterward, Ritsuka and Mash stuck together for a while longer, laughing and playing around, before entering the Coffin to prepare for Rayshift.