Miracle Summoner

"————"

This was an extremely vague experience.

Consciousness did not sink.

The body did not decay.

Only within, it felt as if something was making a sound, constantly sending ripples of unease.

"————'It's about time.'————"

The voice declared this, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

"————'I can feel it.'————"

Perhaps this was the reason. Otherwise, it wouldn't have remained silent until now.

"————'But your time is running out.'————"

This was something already known.

"————'Doesn't that make you sad?'————"

There was no reason to be sad.

"————'Why not?'————"

Because, long ago, that person faced these things before I did.

"————'So, do you hope to find salvation like that Master?'————"

No, it's not like that. I've never thought of being saved. To have been able to live this long is already satisfying enough.

"————'Then why do you feel sadness?'————"

…Isn't it obvious?

When I think of my departure causing that person sorrow, leaving him without a shield, alone to continue fighting—it makes my heart wrench in pain no matter what.

"————'I see.'————"

Ah, you understand now?

"————'After all, we are one and the same.'————"

Indeed, but I'm sorry—I don't know if I can hold on until human history is saved, to use the strength you gave me to fulfill your wish.

"————'It's alright, I believe in you.'————"

The voice spoke reassuringly.

"————'Now, it's about time to awaken for real.'————"

A true awakening…?

"————'Yes, a true awakening.'————"

This is something that must be done.

"————'Only then can you inherit all my power.'————"

All along, she had only been a half-baked Servant. Even though she possessed the power of a Servant, it wasn't complete.

"————'My strength, my shield—it's time for you to truly inherit them.'————"

For that, she had to strive.

"————'Seek it.'————"

Seek the truth engraved in the Throne.

"————'Seek it.'————"

Let the power within you truly erupt.

"————'My true name is…'————"

The owner of the voice seemed to tell her something.

Unfortunately, the crucial name was lost to her.

Because, compared to this voice, another voice more important to her reached deep into her heart.

"Mash…"

Someone was calling her.

"Mash…"

Someone was waiting for her.

"Mash…"

Such a nostalgic voice.

"Mash…"

Such a cherished call.

And so, the girl knew she had to wake up.

To return to his side and once again become the strongest shield in his hands.

...

"Fou!"

As soon as this cheerful cry reached her ears, the girl's consciousness returned.

"Ugh…"

Letting out a slightly dazed sound, the girl slowly opened her eyes.

"Fou! Fouu!"

The moment the girl opened her eyes, a white little creature leapt into her arms as if cheering.

The girl immediately recognized the creature in her arms and its origins.

"Fou…"

Leaping into her arms was none other than Fou, the mysterious being always active in Chaldea.

At this moment, the girl, dressed in a pristine, white hospital-like gown, lay on a pure and spotless bed in a sterile room.

Her bare arms were exposed to the air.

Her calves, too, were in contact with the atmosphere.

Mash hugged the little white creature that had leapt into her arms, and in her daze, she noticed someone by her bedside.

Someone she felt both deeply nostalgic for and in love with.

"Senpai…"

Mash called out the most significant term in her life.

The person standing by Mash's bed was, of course, Rozen.

"You're awake?"

Rozen looked at Mash lying on the bed, his eyes exceptionally gentle and his expression unusually kind.

That gaze, that expression—although Mash had seen them before, she had never felt them so vividly or deeply.

The reason was simple: in the past, Rozen rarely showed his inner tenderness so openly.

Because of his past life, because of former pain, Rozen had always seemed like a child who couldn't grow up—rebellious and impulsive toward everything, usually lazy and nonchalant, as if nothing mattered to him. Or perhaps it was that he didn't trust anything, always carrying a sense of wariness.

But now, Rozen seemed to have changed.

As if, overnight, he had come to terms with many things, or perhaps he had grown significantly all at once, becoming much more mature.

At the very least, in the past, Mash could feel Rozen's care through his actions, but she had never felt his heartache for her so directly.

Mash could even perceive a faint emotion in Rozen's eyes that made her heart race uncontrollably.

That emotion was both unfamiliar and familiar, as if it had always been there but she had never noticed.

Thus, Mash's pale cheeks flushed slightly.

In return, Rozen's gaze and smile grew even gentler.

"Did you have a nice dream?"

Rozen sat by the bed, reaching out to brush the messy bangs on Mash's forehead.

"Mm…" Mash, slightly shy, replied, "It felt like an important dream, but I can't remember it very well."

"Is that so?" Rozen smiled lightly, unconcerned. "Do you feel any discomfort in your body?"

"No." Mash shook her head honestly and replied, "On the contrary, I feel warm, as if something is about to flow out of me."

"I see…" Rozen nodded thoughtfully.

That pondering look made him seem much more mature than before.

Why does Senpai feel so different, even though his appearance hasn't changed at all?

Looking at Rozen like this, for some reason, Mash found herself a little enchanted, a little intoxicated.

It couldn't be helped.

Even though Rozen's appearance hadn't changed at all compared to the past, why did he now seem entirely different?

Moreover, he had changed in a way that made her heart flutter, her pulse race faster and louder, and her desire to throw herself into his arms surged uncontrollably.

Thinking this, Mash's cheeks flushed again.

The two stared at each other silently for a long time without speaking.

"Fou!"

The Fou resting on Mash's body seemed a bit bored by the scene.

However, it also seemed to understand that now was not the time to disturb the two. It jumped off the bed and landed on the floor nearby, yawning and rubbing its eyes.

Outside the sterile room, a few figures had appeared at some point.

But they didn't enter. They simply watched the scene quietly, their gazes and expressions full of complexity.