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58.5% A Nascent Kaleidoscope. / Chapter 344: Chapter 311

Chapter 344: Chapter 311

"Y-you did adequately." The Director managed to eek out. "As expected from someone I made B-Team's Leader."

It's kind of cute how she praises people through a roundabout manner like that.

"A very intriguing display, Sir Shimoda." Wodime spoke up at Olga's side. "Forgive me for prying, but do you have previous experience with Servants? I couldn't help but feel you had some familiarity in the way you executed your actions."

Hmm, what to answer with?

Knowing there were several different Grail Wars in the past few centuries, I did have some wiggle room to work with.

"I happen to be acquainted with someone who participated in a Grail War, so I do have some knowledge of Servants. In addition to ample Combat Experience with regards to non-human entities, much of which were beyond the physical means of normal humans, I suppose you could say I have experience in situations like this and I just did what I normally do." I answered pointedly, not giving too much away, but letting them come to their own conclusions.

"Why are we just finding out about this now." Olga huffed. "Even some basic second hand knowledge on Servant combat and how to operate with them would have been something worth noting."

"I never had the opportunity to bring it up." I shrugged helplessly. "Was I just supposed to arrogantly blurt it out when the topic first presented itself?"

"….fine." Olga grumbled. "But shouldn't the paperwork you filled out before being accepted have asked about previous history? Why was something like that glossed over?"

"Actually, it barely covered anything beyond achievements that you would find in the Clock Tower. Things like combat experience, or miscellaneous experiences in that same vein were completely ignored. Honestly, reading the recruitment paperwork, Chaldea sounded much more like a research institution."

Olga opened her mouth and closed it again, bringing her palm up to her face. "Please tell me our recruiters didn't ignore a very important aspect of recruitment for potential Master Candidates, Lev."

"Apologies, Director, but Lev had disappeared as soon as the simulation ended." Wodime answered. "As did Miss Hinako shortly after."

"Ugh." Olga groaned out again. "It seems I'll have to audit our recruiters personally. I have no idea why that was missed by so many people, but we will at least be able to rectify it for the next batch of recruits…..as late as this correction is."

"If I may make a suggestion." I spoke up again, breaking her from her scowling.

"Speak, Shimoda."

"It may be beneficial to look for any combat experience, not just focusing on things like Dead Apostle Hunts. Or in my case, fighting Youkai in the past. While those kinds of things are no doubt worthy of notice, if a potential recruit had experience in the military, that would also be a great boon. It's nearly impossible to teach that kind of discipline to the random people we may find out and about without a lot of time and effort. The ability to keep calm under pressure, following orders without questioning them every step of the way, and handling extremely stressful and deadly situations."

"A wise sentiment. I believe it is a perspective I would not have considered." Wodime looked thoughtful. "Such history is easy to overlook for vaunted Magi, that is easy to not even consider them."

Olga glared at him briefly before orientating herself. "I will look into it and update our recruitment parameters. Your advice is most welcome, Shimoda."

Mmm, sometimes your world view is so skewed that you just don't consider certain things until someone pointed them out. Hell, Gramps and I are more than guilty for this same exact thing.

And it would also be a great help if I had to leave. Finding someone to fill my spot would be easier if they knew how to lead teammates into battle.

"Good, but I have some questions and I believe it prudent to go over your combat session, as this was your first attempt." Olga continued on. "Don't expect me to do this all the time. Since I was here, I may as well lend my expertise."

"Shall I grab my team then?" I offered. "We should turn this into a lecture for them. Even if we've barely covered Servants in their full capacity, with the simulation fresh in their heads, it would be good to hammer in some details."

[***]

"Alright, everyone, listen up." Olga slapped the chalk board at the front of the room. "Since it's your first time seeing combat at that level, we're going to do a break down of what you need to expect if you're put into that kind of situation."

Olga said before that she wasn't going to get involved with B-Team as it was beneath her, but here she was. She may come off a little harsh, but she never did anything...detrimental. The complete opposite from what I've seen thus far. She would always try her best to help with any problem that came her way.

Yeah, she would huff and groan, but she would do what she needed to make sure her subordinates were content.

"It's a little early for you all, but you got your first taste of how things will go if you have to deploy." Olga swept her gaze around the room. "Shimoda here performed well above what was expected of him. You all are lucky to have someone adept giving you practical lessons."

"Thank you, Director." I took her pause as cue to cut in. "So, as she said, we're going to do a little talk about my simulation." I clapped my hands, easing the tension a little in the room. Olga's presence seemed to have the effect of making everyone slightly cower. It was understandable in their position, but I wanted them at ease. "We've barely covered the basics, but this is also a good opportunity as you all will be doing something similar in the coming weeks. I don't expect any of you to do…..well, good at all. But we don't have the time to be gentle about our means."

"A-Team was kind enough to offer a schedule for when they will not be using the Simulation room. Your Leader will be making your own schedule to fill in those gaps when he deems you competent enough to take that step forward." Olga informed everyone.

Which was nice of Wodime. I wouldn't say it was cutting into A-Team's training time as it was empty time slots, but it was nice all the same.

He seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

Unfortunately, he had other matters to attend to, so he had to leave.

"Moving on." Olga grabbed a piece of Chalk and began writing on the board. The Classes of Servants that appeared in the simulation. "You should be aware of the absolute basics by now after the few lectures you have participated in. The meaning behind the Classes, for instance. We will start from the beginning. As well as Shimoda performed, what was his first mistake?"

I was actually curios what she was going to point out.

No one raised their hand, but it felt more rhetorical on her part.

"What about you, Shimoda. What was your first mistake?"

Well, I suppose in hindsight, I made a mistake from her perspective. "I put myself in the middle of the fight when I had the opportunity to take a step back."

Olga looked at me for a moment before smiling slightly. "Indeed." She nodded in approval. "Servants are beyond the means of nearly every Magus. It's a forgivable mistake in this circumstance, but it is not a good idea to stand in the middle of the fighting like he did. That isn't to say that Masters are not involved, a Master is part of a Servant's strength. You would do well to remember this. But at the same time, you are also the biggest weakness for a Servant. Your lives are much more valuable than your Servant's as well, take that into account in the future." She whipped her hands after writing on the board a few times. "Shimoda, recount the exercise from your perspective."

"Yes, Director." I turned back to face my team. "Starting from the beginning. You covered Noble Phantasm – very briefly, so I won't delve too deep into the workings of those. They're a Servant's trump card, sometimes cards, and come in many different shapes and sizes. You'll be able to see the Servant you make a contract with, their stats and their Noble Phantasms. I was able to learn right away that my Berserker could become invincible for a short duration, my Lancer had a very precise and near-instant attack that was hard to block, and my Archer had a wide-range kill shot."

A hand went up as I gestured to him. "Go ahead, Samuel."

"How come the other, erm, Servants didn't use their Noble Phantasms." He spoke the term with a little difficulty, perhaps feeling odd to say out loud.

"A good question." Olga interjected. "Shimoda basically explained why, but he will give his own opinion."

"I didn't give them the chance." I said simply.

"Good." Olga nodded. "It was not a fluke, or luck." She sounded actually a little proud if I were to be honest. "A Noble Phantasm generally costs an exorbitant amount of Magical Energy to release. It is not something to be used casually, a Trump Card is a valid explanation of what it usually means. There are exceptions, of course, but it holds true for most situations."

"Going back to my set up." I took over once more. "I made my traditional Archer take the high ground –"

"Monsieur." Pierre put his hand up this time. "What do you mean – traditional Archer?"

"Another good question, and something we simply haven't covered yet. Classes are…..broad and simplified. Archer basically means – any ranged Servant that isn't a Caster."

"An adequate simplification." Olga muttered. "Continue."

"Right, so I made my Archer take the high ground. I didn't have much time to set up a proper ambush, so I made use of the terrain. I set my Lancer merely out of sight so he could gain the initiative on his first engagement. And with my Berserker, complex commands wouldn't be well received. We covered why they're called Berserker, so I won't delve into that. So I made him my …well, to put it simply, he was my meat shield."

"Hey Boss." Samuel put his hand up next. "So, don't mean to be a downer. But you did a bunch of Spells and stuff. We don't know any of that, how are we supposed to copy what you did"

I was about to answer, but Olga stepped in. "Your situation is different, admittedly. But you will be provided abundant resources by Chaldea. We will be creating personal Mystic Codes for each of you that will help you if the situation calls for it."

They stared blankly at her for a moment. "Magical Items." I clarified.

Olga blinked, a flash of a flush for a moment. "….thank you, Shimoda." She said quietly before clearing her throat. "In addition, you will be learning to work as a team to overcome obstacles like this."

"Also, my Talismans aren't particularly difficult to use." I pursed my lips, thinking it over. "Get Reinforcement down, and I'll start teaching you all how to use them and make sure you're all outfitted with an assortment."

Atleast the basic Talismans weren't difficult to use. Nothing more than one-time use Mystic Codes. Channel Magical Energy, activate their effects. Things like the Shielding Talisman, a Healing Talisman, a few basic Elemental Talismans, etc. I had a lot I prepared beforehand. The benefit was their ease of use and lack of Magical Energy required, the draw back being their strength was lacking compared to the equivalent of a spell cast through 'normal' means.

Scáthach didn't let me leave until she thought I made adequate preparations for nearly every situation. Honestly, it was just her way of showing her concern and caring about me.

They noticeably perked up, and I couldn't fault them. Who wouldn't be excited about 'playing' with 'Magic'.

"If that is sorted, we will continue." Olga actually sounded a little enthusiastic, despite her earlier claim that that she wouldn't be helping B-Team and it was beneath her. Her eyes were lighting up with a certain…..gleefulness that I hadn't seen before. "Now, let's go over his combat strategy, and the commands he issued."

[***]

"Thank you for your help, Director." I said as the Team filed out of the room. We had been in a discussion for well over three hours, and Olga barely even noticed.

"Yes, well, I was just doing my duty as your Senior and the Director." She always preened under praise.

"Having you here helped them greatly, I'm sure. I find it unlikely that any other experience Magi would be so willing to spend their time to help them."

"....It wasn't a bother." She said in a hushed tone. "They actually listened to me, so it wasn't unpleasant." The last bit was added with barely a whisper.

And I felt like there was a lot to unpack with what she said. But I was going to pretend to not hear her, I don't think she meant to voice her thoughts like that.

Jeez, she must have had it rough if something like this was enough to make her so happy. I said before that it must have been stressful to run an Organization like this, especially after her father passed. But maybe I was just underestimating what she actually had to do to get this far and keep her position.

"You have done well, Shimoda." She returned to her rather stoic expression. "I'm pleased that you handled yourself so well in the simulation, and you have good theoretical knowledge that I don't find lacking. Since you are the Leader of B-Team, I believe you can be let into one of the secrets we're keeping."

"Secret?" I repeated, a lot more interested now.

Could this be a clue I was looking for? I hadn't been able to pick out any major problem yet. Sure, Lev was a big red flag, but that hadn't crossed into the boundary of problem on the same scale as what this Singularity represented.

Not to mention the other things I've met here.

"As you know, Servant Summoning through the FATE system has only a miniscule possibility of succeeding right now. Fortunately, we have been able to summon a singular Servant and they have been a great help to Chaldea." Olga informed me. "I will take you to meet Caster."

"Caster?" I blinked. "Are they a traditional Caster or someone who just fills the role?" While I was a little sad that it didn't go the direction I thought, it was still interesting to meet another Servant.

"A traditional Caster." Olga replied. "I mentioned Mystic Codes for B-Team, we can discuss what you should need with her as she will be the one to fulfill those request. She has taken over certain duties since her summoning, some of which involves the production of Mystic Codes."

"Fascinating." Unfortunately I couldn't reveal myself, I would love to talk shop, but I had to keep my competency a secret beyond what I've already shown.

Olga began leading me out the room and down the hall. "Please remember that her existence is a secret. I don't want to have to deal with outsiders wanting to bother her for their own personal gain."

Yeah, a Caster Class Servant would undoubtedly have knowledge that most Magi would salivate over.

"Who else knows?"

"A-Team, Roman, Lev, Myself and a select few more of the staff that she has to interact with. She does wander around from time to time, but her existence as a Servant is a Secret."

"Noted, I'll be careful about it in the future." I stated aswe approached an end of the Facility I had yet to visit until now. I was able to sense many different kinds of Bounded Fields and defense mechanisms. "Are we approaching personal workshops?"

"You noticed." Olga eyed me inquisitively. "You have good senses. I noticed when Assassin attacked you in the simulation and you called for your Lancer before he even appeared. It's a shame you haven't had the opportunity to apply to the Association for your talent to blossom."

"I thank you for the praise, but I don't think I would fit well in that environment."

"Regardless, this is where personal workshops of the staff are housed. I don't think I need to tell you what that entails. If you're found trying to break into one, being fired may be the least of your concerns. But I don't suspect I will have to watch you for that." She continued onwards, several more Bounded Fields washed over us. "Caster has two Workshops, a public and a private one. She can be found in her Public one most of the time, and if the situation calls for it, you can approach and attempt to contact her."

"Anything I should know about this Caster Servant?"

"They are…..eccentric." Olga twitched a little bit. "Here we are." Olga didn't even give a knock of courtesy, she pushed the door right open.

"Director, you're here!" A cheerful voice greeted us.

"Caster." The Director returned curtly.

I peeked in to a see who spoke. A woman wearing a bright blue and red set of garments that wouldn't be out of place at a renaissance festival, yet at the same time, had a modern touch with a skirt that showed off some very beautiful legs. She had bright blue eyes, shoulder length brown hair, and what could be described as a gorgeous face.

"Oh my, who's this?" Caster looked at me. "Ah, you're Takao Shimoda. I had a few moments, so I watched your simulation battle. Onmyoji, an interesting bit of Magecraft. It took me a few minutes to figure it out. Not very difficult, but it was fun."

I blinked. "….thank you?"

"What do you mean you watched?" Olga narrowed her eyes.

"Mm, I hacked into the surveillance." She said as if it was unimportant. "But, introductions are now required!" She spun around once in her chair before jumping to her feet. "You were admiring my body, as expected. Continue looking at this model of perfection that I crafted for my vessel. Gaze upon my genius and splendor, for no beauty could match that which I have created. And are you wondering who stands before you in such perfection? It is I, Da – "

"Eight out of ten."

The Caster came to a screeching stop. "Pardon?"

"You said you made that body? I'm assuming it wasn't the form you were supposed to be summoned in, but your preference by your admittance of crafting it. I give it an eight out of ten, not bad."

Why did it suddenly get a lot colder in the room?

[***]

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Chapter 345: Chapter 312

"Haha, I think I misheard you." The Servant giggled menacingly. "I think you called my greatest work only an Eight out of ten."

"You're basically just copying yourself. How could you call this your greatest work?" I replied. "You were going to introduce yourself as Leonardo Da Vinci, yes?" She nodded. "Oh, by the way, do you still want to be called that? I don't want to presume since you made yourself a woman."

It was easy to guess her identity once I took a look around the room in addition to some other small clues. There were drawings and blueprints with designs that were rather iconic and conntected to a well known artist.

She blinked, smiling lightly as the tension eased. "That's sweet. I don't really care about Gender. Man, woman, what's the difference, my Genius transcends all of that. So, feel free to just call me Da Vinci-chan~"

"Da Vinci it is." I nodded. "I'm actually a little bit of a fan."

"Oh?" She perked up. "What one of my works is your favorite?"

"That's hard to decide." I tapped my chin. "I want to pick out one specific project of yours, but honestly, I think my favorite overall were the plethora of designs that basically predicted a lot of modern inventions. Though, honestly, all of your works are cultural icons that make it hard to choose a favorite."

"Those old things?" She flipped her hair back with a bright smile. "Those was just some doodles I scribbled when I was bored. But I suppose it's to be expected from a genius like myself."

"I wish I had been told you were here beforehand; I would have prepared something proper to ask for your autograph."

She let out a cute laugh. "Oh, that's kind of you to say. I really do appreciate that my works have managed to survive and continue to inspire people even centuries later."

"…..what's happening." Olga said in confusion. "You insulted her looks, and now she's happy."

"That was that, and this is this." Da Vinci shrugged. "It's obvious for him to lavish me with praise, even if he seems to be a bore that can't recognize beauty perfected when he sees it.."

"She introduced herself as a craftsman, not a model of sorts. I was critiquing her work in that same spirit, not insulting her looks." I defended myself. "And I disagree that it's a representation of perfection."

I would never be so crass to just wantonly critique a woman's looks with blatant disregard. However, it was obvious she had been promoting herself as the crafter, more so than propping herself up through her own looks.

"I suppose everyone's entitled to an opinion, no matter how wrong it is."

"I couldn't agree more."

We stared at one another for a moment, a twitching smile was on her face. "Says the person whose eyes lingered on my legs for an extra .32 seconds."

"Well, they're nice legs." Was she trying to fluster me?

Hah!

Though, the corners of her lips curled up. "They are, aren't they?" She looked at me coquettishly, her dainty hand lowered down to the hem of her skirt, a single finger tugging on it, raising it up an inch. "One might even say perfect."

"W-what are you doing you perverted Servant!" Olga squeaked out. I almost forgot she was there, as Da Vinci understandably held my full attention for the moment. But the Director was sporting a very red face as she threw her finger at the Servant in accusation. "B-Be decent you scoundrel!"

"You can marvel at my perfect form as well, Director, I don't mind~" The Servant stopped her act with a laugh, plopping back into her seat. Though, she did have a little smug look about her when she noticed I gave her Legs another glance. "Can't take your eyes away, hmm? It seems that someone isn't being honest."

"I've seen better." I said nonchalantly, making her smile twitch again.

"Hmph, playing hard are you? I'll make you admit to my perfection sooner or later." She relaxed, the playfulness of hers settled back down. I could more or less parse her personality from the first few moments. I didn't feel like she would be truly insulted when I made that comment. "Atleast you're more fun than most of the other Magi here, stuffy blowhards."

"I'll take that as a compliment from the great Da Vinci." I chuckled. "Even if that's not much of a threshold to overcome."

"Will you two stop flirting!" Olga stomped her foot.

"Oh fine." Da Vinci exhaled. "I guess we'll get started on the boring stuff, then I can go back to my own projects. What can I do for you, Director? I assume it has something to do with the blind Magus you brought. Do you need me to make him a Mystic Code to repair his vision? That may be a task that even a Genius such as I would find difficult."

"It's weird, I've never had a problem with my vision before." I replied with a rather dry tone. "Maybe it's someone else who's blind and projecting a little bit here."

"Enough." Olga huffed. "I don't care if you two hate each other but stop bickering and wasting my time."

"I don't hate her." I shook my head.

"Why would you think that?" Da Vinci also blinked in confusion.

Olga covered her face, letting out a groan. "Just…..let's settle what we came here for. We were going to request –"

"Mystic Codes for those cute B-Team members you're training, yeah, I know." Da Vinci interrupted. "I mostly got the designs ready."

"….how?" Olga questioned softly.

"Did you not hear me earlier when I said I hacked the surveillance system for the training rooms?" Da Vinci once again said it with complete nonchalance. "Do keep up."

"Wonderful, that saves some time." I interjected, noticing the fuming expression that Olga had. "What were your thoughts?"

"Tricky, tricky." Da Vinci tapped her chin. "But I managed to get something that should work. You may give me your praise." She beamed/said/preened as she grabbed a piece of paper out of a stack at the desk she was sitting at, shoving it into my hands.

I looked it over and couldn't help but be impressed. "Did you copy the idea of my Talisman Shield and add it on?"

….how long ago did I even show that off?

"It was a quaint spell." She shrugged. "For people who have no knowledge of Spell craft I had to tone down any of my usual inventions to something they could properly manage."

"Give me that." Olga growled, still seething as she tugged it out of my hands. "A modified uniform, acceptable. You added in Spells with a single activation phrase. The power is limited, and you focused nearly entirely on utility. I suppose it's the best we can expect in these circumstances."

"Using a form of Displacement Magecraft, the Shielding Spell can be used on oneself or the target of choice." I leaned over Olga's shoulder, further reading the document. "An elegant change and one I hadn't considered. Even more so when it still completely retains the simplicity of pointing and saying 'Shield' to actualize."

It will certainly be a useful tool, and one capable for them to learn to use without much effort.

"Of course, who do you think I am?" Da Vinci preened. "I had to make room for something like that, along with the Healing Spell, and for offense I included a Gandr Spell. Obviously, they all have a set amount of uses before they have to recharge, but for complete beginners, it's the best I can manage. That being said, it originally included a strengthening spell, but that's pointless if you're teaching them Reinforcement. So….you have room to add another spell if you're fine with what I've created already; even though we both know the answer to that."

The smuggness in her tone was not hidden whatsoever. "What about a binding spell similar to what I used?"

She tapped her chin in thought. "I can manage that easily enough."

"When do you think you can have them all done, so I can schedule them to get some practiel use with the training simulation?"

"Today's Tuesday so – Friday, since I do have something else I need to wrap up." She hummed.

"Really? You can get them all done in threeish days? That's really impressive." I was being completely genuine. Looking over the designs for their uniforms, it wasn't standard material she was going to work with. And she was going to make some decent Mystic Codes, as simplified as possible, which was not an easy take, and get it all done in a few days.

"Well, I can have 80% of it done three days." She said cheerfully.

I had to resist the urge to let out a sigh. "You're going to hold a grudge, aren't you?"

"Let's call it eight tenths of a grudge."

Ah well, I suppose I asked for that.

I like her though.

[***]

I hummed to myself as I walked down the corridors of the facility. A small smile and nodded as I greeted the other staff members.

I've been here for…. A couple weeks now, give or take a day or two. At this point, I think my face was becoming familiar.

And I could more or less figure out where everything was here. Having explored the corners when I had free time meant no more getting lost!

With a pep in my step, I pushed open the door leading to the facilities library. It was open to basically anyone, but it was practically empty this time of day. I think it got most of its use later in the evening when a good portion of the staff clocked out.

One of the benefits of the job was the extensive amount of knowledge they gathered here. There was a good chunk of the staff that were Magi of first and second generations. They mostly composed of non-essential positions, but in return for their several years of service, they could have access to things like this. A library filled with many different crafts, albeit nothing of any true secrecy but some rare and obscure works could be found here. It was leagues beyond the resources available to those first and second-generation families that were trying to muddle through by themselves without any foundation.

This was of course, just one of many benefits the staff here would receive for their work. They were dedicating literal years of their life to this place, but they were certainly not losing out for their contributions.

Once I stepped through the threshold, I did notice someone else in here. "Fancy seeing you here." I waved to Hinako who sat quietly in a corner, reading a book. She obviously noticed me when I walked in.

"Did you need something or did you just come here to bother me?" The Elemental slammed her book shut, sending me a glare.

"I didn't even know you were here." I blinked in confusion at her sudden burst of anger. "But if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were avoiding me." I haven't seen her since the day in the simulation room awhile ago.

And despite Wodime's insistence on my training with A-Team, they haven't had any team training exercises recently.

"I was." She huffed.

"Do you really have to be so blunt about it, maybe spare my feelings a little? I don't think I've done anything to earn this kind of response."

"You blackmailed me."

"Because you basically kidnapped me and tried to blackmail me first."

"I did not kidnap you." She scowled.

"What do you call forcing a young and impressionable youth to a dark corner away from prying eyes?" I countered.

"Young and impressionable?!" she scoffed.

"I'm barely in my twenties, y'know."

"Like I would believe that." She accompanied that a very visible eye role.

"And that's only because I spent time in a place that time flowed differently. Based on my birthday, I'm barely out of high school. Actually, I'm a high school drop out."

It was still a funny thought. Honestly, I think the only one who would care about that would be Venelana, and not in the way of being ashamed or anything. I don't think she cares about human education. Speaking of, I should call her, well, her and the others. I think it might be important with her since she's the newest to my Harem and as such I wanted to make sure she knows I value our relationship

"I can't tell if you're lying or not and it's concerning me."

"Why would I lie about something like this?" I shrugged, not really caring if she believed me or not.

"How would I know why one of your kind does anything?"

"One of my kind? That sounds vaguely racist. And you don't even know what race I am, considering my mother was human, I'm pretty sure you have no idea." I faced the nearest bookshelf, looking over the titles.

"I am not racist!"

"Sounds like something a racist would say." I barely held back the snicker as I pulled a book from the shelf. I briefly flipped through the pages before putting it back. "But you keep assuming I'm a Divine Spirit when I'm really not. As I said, I'm barely into my twenties and my mom was human."

"Then how else do you have Divinity and an Authority! That's not just something you can pick up on the street." She huffed in annoyance.

I turned back and looked at her with a completely straight face. "I usurped it from the deity I killed." I didn't elaborate and turned back around.

Another scoff I heard told me that she wasn't believing me.

Oh well.

"Though, I was adopted by a Goddess. I go to visit her sometimes, she's really sweet. Oh, and one of my best friends is a Goddess, I go to her death realm to visit her sometimes as well. And then there's my lover who's an Eldritch Goddess –"

"Stop mocking me." She growled, slamming her book on the table.

"If you say so." I whistled innocently, going back to doing what I was doing.

Specifically, I was looking for a few books on theory for my team to study in their down time. I couldn't keep shoving lectures down their throats and running their bodies rampant. They did need some down time but that could be spent casually reading some helpful materials.

The only issue was that I was not a beginner, and I was having trouble filling in all the gaps they would need. It's been…..way too long since I had to think with that mindset. Even when I regained my memories, I never thought of myself as a novice. Sure, I was not well equipped and had to build myself back up, but my foundation was solid beyond reproach.

That's not to mention all the miscellaneous knowledge I accumulated in my past life that I inherited.

"What are you looking for." I cast a sideways glance at Hinako who had approached me by her own accord. Her tone was a lot….softer than it was just moments prior.

"Want me out of your hair quicker? Relax, I'll stop bothering you once I get what I came here for." I put another book back onto the shelf, ignoring her presence.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't meant to come off as a bitch. I'm just…..not used to dealing with other people, and you're…..making me nervous by just being here." She said quietly. "You're right, I was the one who forced us together and started everything."

I looked at her for a moment before relenting. Honestly didn't expect her to apologize, she seemed like the type to keep doubling down regardless of the circumstances. "Alright, apology accepted. I can understand where you're coming from. Even if we reached an agreement, I'm sure you've been feeling anxious about everything. I don't know what this Servant means to you, but obviously they're very important that you don't want your chances ruined." And it was left unsaid that my own offer, that she seemingly accepted last time, she was still a little skeptical about.

"….my husband." She whispered. "He was my husband."

"Oh." I was unsure of how to respond to that.

There was a small but awkward silence that ensued before she spoke up again. "What are you looking for, maybe I can help?" She offered, and I happily took the chance to change the subject. I did not expect her to be so honest like that and it took me completely off guard.

"Study materials for my team for their down time. They're complete and utter novices, as you know, so I wanted something to help them learn and put them in the right mind set. Maybe a couple books on self-hypnosis since I will be touching on that soon enough."

"I'll check on the other shelf, and start pulling things off I think will help." She replied, immediately going to the side to start scanning through the books. "I haven't found anything yet."

"…..yeah, we just started looking."

"No, I mean, I was looking into things, quietly of course, and I haven't found anything out of the ordinary about what's going on." She clarified, taking a book off and tossing it on the nearby table before continuing.

"You mean you didn't conveniently overhear someone's diabolic plans as they conveniently explained it step by step in detail?" I let out a faux noise of surprise.

The Elemental let out a snort of amusement. "Unfortunately, no convenient villainous monologue."

"Mmm, have you tried putting Lev infront of a mirror? Maybe he'll start practicing when no one's watching."

"….after you mentioned him, he's been giving me an unsettling feeling. I knew he wasn't human already, but I didn't really care. But now that I'm paying attention, it's obvious he has something against you. And I have no idea what he is."

"He was antagonistic the moment I first met him. And oddly enough, I feel the same way towards him, and I have no idea why. My current theory is that our bloodlines just don't mesh well, but...I'm not entirely convinced."

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what you are?"

"What aren't I? I'm part God, part Dragon, Part Angel, Part Devil, Part –"

"Can you be serious?" She huffed, tossing another book onto the growing pile. "I guess it's not my place. Not like I go around wanting humans to know about my background."

I smiled and chuckled lightly. "It's not like I expected this to be easy. But I also appreciate the effort."

"I did it for what you promised." She grunted, tossing one last book onto the table before stopping. "And this should be enough for now, what do you think?"

I carried a few more books myself, adding them to the pile. "Looks good, thanks."

"You're really acting as B-Teams leader." She said, looking over what we collected. "You're not just playing around."

"Of course. The moment they put their lives into my hands, I made a promise to do what I could to make sure they survive while we settle this singularity. Honestly, I hope they don't get deployed, but I'll do what I can to help them if they do."

"Does that include revealing yourself?" She asked.

I paused only for a brief moment. "They're my subordinates, I'll do what I have to in order to protect them."

"….I'm starting to believe you aren't a Divine Spirit. The ones I've met in the past would never care about humans like you apparently do."

"I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me."

She crossed her arms with an eye roll. "Don't get used to it."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Looking at her relaxed posture, I thought maybe we could actually get along. "Takao Shimoda."

"What?" She looked at me in confusion.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot before" I held my hand up. "Takao Shimoda, it's the name my mom gave me. It's not the name I normally use, but it's not necessarily fake either."

She looked down at my hand before letting out a sigh and taking it in hers. "Hinako Akuta, It's not my real name, but it's what I go by here."

I think I saw the tiniest hint of a smile as she said that.

[***]

Meant to release this chapter with the one earlier today, but I only got like 3 hours of sleep and couldn't do it in time.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone


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