CHAPTER TEXT

The Roman ship sat underneath the sunny afternoon of the Mediterranean. Legate Evander was currently in the captain’s cabin with his officers, going over reports from scouts sailing in on the retaking of Corsica and Sardinia and debating with senior officers over the next course of action. Junior officers barked out orders to the rank and file as they busied about – maintaining the rigging and scorpions, swabbing the decks, and more.

Under normal circumstances, there would be foraging parties sent to the nearby island, but there had been strict orders that no soldier was to disembark there at any cost – an order the soldiers were frankly all too happy to follow. After what they had seen and heard from the detachment that had been sent to the island in the first place, nobody was eager to follow up on the situation.

The large, blasted out crater on the beach, murky from being freshly filled with seawater, was more than enough for everyone.

Meanwhile, Morgana sat at the prow of the ship, fishing rod once more in hand with the line dipping into the waves below. They had sailed out to more open waters, though the Shaped Isle and the resulting crater was still visible to the keen-eyed among them – at least, among humans. Archer didn’t count. Speaking of the red-mantled hero, he was currently in spirit form to conserve energy. He should be fine given Morgana’s powers, but it was better safe than sorry given the damage he sustained.

And Rider… ever since the Isle, she had been more withdrawn and quieter than usual. The most she had spoken was to reassure Morgana that she was fine before withdrawing. There was a lot going on here, but Morgana knew he couldn’t push it. She would reveal it in due time. And if she didn’t… well, that was her prerogative too. Ren knew better than he did about these things. He wondered how his best friend would’ve handled it…

As for the Berserker, the battle was over just as suddenly as it started. Once the light had dimmed down from the collision, the Pegasus was gone, leaving a very tired looking Rider – and absolutely no sign of the Berserker. A quick check from Archer confirmed it: The Berserker was defeated, and it was unlikely he was going to show again. Morgana could only breathe a sigh of relief. If he had to hear the man bellow ‘NERO’ when talking about him again, he probably would’ve lost it.

Stheno was left on the island. That was perhaps the one thing Morgana and the goddess could both agree with. Though nobody voiced it out loud, it wasn’t a great loss in any regard, given her haughty personality and lack of martial skills. Not even Rider voiced a disagreement with leaving her there. But they picked up both Astolfo and Tamamo Cat in compensation in turn, both of whom were making themselves equal parts useful and annoying on the ship.

Acting as a flying scout in Astolfo’s case and being a surprisingly damn good chef in Tamamo Cat’s certainly won them a lot of favor, at least.

The seeds themselves were an oddity. Morgana’s hunch was right – Da Vinci apparently couldn’t make heads or tails of them in any botanical compendium Chaldea had by visual data alone. They would need to be sent back for further analysis, which currently wasn’t doable as Mash was currently on the other side of the Mediterranean with Ren at the moment.

“A shame we couldn’t get our hands on the chimera,” the Uomo Universale pouted. “The parts would’ve made excellent material for further enhancing your gear.”

“Yeah, kinda figured that,” Morgana sighed. A chimera as experienced as that probably had a lot of valuable parts they could use. Maybe he should ask Da Vinci for some preservation bags or something like that for next time – if there was such a next time, anyway.

But now that everything was done, there wasn’t really anything left except to debate what’s the next immediate step. And while Evander deliberated, Morgana tried to get some sleep – a fool’s errand as it turned out. Despite his aching, exhausted body, he had been so restless that no matter how he kneaded his hammock or tried looking for a good position, he couldn’t catch even a wink.

With his usual habit denied to him, there was nothing for it but to try fishing again. He considered switching back to his regular form, but considering the superstition about black cats on ships, he decided it was better safe than sorry. Granted, he was still in a catlike form but this would be enough leeway, wouldn’t it? At the very least, none of the soldiers or sailors around him were commenting on it. Besides, it was harder to fish with four legs as opposed to his more dexterous form.

Morgana sighed as he reflected on everything. It all just felt so… surreal. Sitting here with a fishing rod in hand on a ship, it felt like everything he just went through was a mere dream or illusion, no more than a figment of his imagination. Then all it took was a glance down at the command seals on his paw – and seeing one of them burnt out – that pulled him back to reality. The seals were supposed to be restored after a full day thanks to Chaldea supplying them with prana, but that didn’t change the fact that one had been used. And the sheer power of Rider’s Pegasus…

He once more remembered Ren’s unicorn and bicorn personas. It wasn’t even a close match.

Despite everything, he couldn’t stop thinking about his time in Tokyo. Him and Ren had both been through a lot and met a lot of people. He had to wonder if Lady Ann would be impressed with all they went through. After all, they went to medieval France and were traveling the breadth of Italy. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, they were prime dating spots! Well, complete destruction and unnatural wars aside, anyway. Lady Ann would definitely love these locales if he could ever bring her here…

“Well, you were easy to find, woof!”

Morgana blinked out of his reverie as he glanced over to see the grinning face of Tamamo Cat, holding a makeshift tray of food (and by makeshift, it seemed that she had taken the lid of a barrel someplace). “Oh hey, Tamamo Cat,” he greeted. While she was a fairly capable combatant – maybe not on the level of Archer or Rider or even Astolfo, but capable nevertheless – he wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with her. “What’s going on?”

“Just call me Cat or Tama,” Tamamo Cat replied easily. “But I didn’t see you at breakfast, woof! You can’t do that – don’t you know breakfast is the most important meal of the day?” Then she stopped to think. “Or was that some sort of farfetch'd tale to sell more cereal…? Eh, no matter, woof! Every meal is the most important meal of the day!”

The catlike being blinked again in surprise, then chuckled ruefully. “I honestly wasn’t feeling that hungry,” he admitted. “But yeah, you’re right – I should eat.” He carefully wedged the rod on a nearby pile of crates before hopping down onto the deck as Tamamo Cat set down the tray – and once more, he was caught by surprise yet again.

He had expected the usual cheese, bread, and lentil porridge. What he saw instead was a surprisingly soft-looking bread (the entire voyage, the bread had been annoyingly hard), topped with melted cheese with herbs seasoned in. The lentil porridge had some herbs too, but it also had cheese mixed in.

There was a shower of golden light as Archer appeared, his curiosity piqued by the food. “Oh? You certainly didn’t spare any expense,” he mused. “How did you get the water necessary to steam the bread properly?”

Tamamo Cat giggled. “All around you, silly!” she replied, spreading her paws wide open. Archer glanced over and indeed, they were surrounded by ocean. “You filter it like crazy, then you boil it and collect the condensation and voila! Fresh water to use! The remaining sea salt, I used to season the porridge!”

The red-mantled hero blinked with surprise. “And what did you use as a filter?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Some old clothes that the Romans weren’t using, woof~” she replied with a grin. “I needed to wash them at least a dozen times before it could work as a filter, but it worked well enough!”

Morgana could only blink in surprise. “You went through a lot of work for this, Tama,” he could only comment. Given who he was, calling her Cat sounded rather wrong, so he opted for the other option. “I’m sure the other soldiers appreciate it too! Thanks so much!”

The fox-like Servant blinked, tilting her head. “I wasn’t going to filter out that much sea salt and fresh water for them,” she added. “Too much work. Way too much, woof! They got the melted cheese and the herbs from me, and I’m happy they’re happy with it!”

For perhaps the umpteenth time, the catlike being was caught by surprise. “I… I see,” he murmured, glancing back at the food and feeling a cold tingle down his spine. His instincts were warning him of something incredibly dangerous though he couldn’t exactly pinpoint what. “So, what’s with the, uh, extra effort? Did you wanna commemorate our alliance, or…?”

Tamamo Cat stared back at Morgana with a mysterious smile on her face before giggling again. “Yes, of course,” she replied. “That’s perhaps the best way to put it. I look forward to working with you, my Master.”

The term caught Morgana off-guard. “Er, I’m not your Master?” he asked questioningly. “At least, I don’t think you’re contracted to me.” Now that he thought about it, didn’t Roman or Da Vinci say they could contract with Servants they came across if they were willing to? There had been so much going on that honestly, they had forgotten.

The Servant shook her head. “No, we are not contracted yet, woof,” she answered. “However, I believe with your nobility and bravery, you are more than worthy of being called my Master. Now, please eat – the food is getting cold.”

“Um… alright,” he replied slowly. He wondered at Tamamo Cat’s behavior before shrugging it off. She had been an odd one to be sure, almost as much as Astolfo albeit, of a different flavor. Archer had once more vanished into a shower of golden dust as he returned to his spirit form, leaving the two of them be. For some reason, that only made him feel more uneasy.

Until he took a bite of the food. The mellowness of the melted cheese complimented the soft bread amazingly well, practically melting in his mouth. The herbs added a nice hint of flavor too. It had him almost drooling for more. He tried the porridge. Normally, the porridge was rather plain, but now there was a delightfully salty flavor to it that complimented the texture of the porridge and the taste of the cheese extraordinarily well. “What did you add to the porridge?” he asked in wonder.

Tamamo Cat grinned. “Salt from the sea water I had used earlier!” she explained happily. “When the water evaporated, it left behind the salt! It’d be a waste to not use something so useful, so I added it in! Sea salt is a great seasoning for almost any dish, woof! I had to do it quietly though – Romans go crazy for it, it seems.”

The catlike being opened his mouth to respond when suddenly, a shifting of the rod caught his attention. He glanced over – and his eyes widened as it jumped out of its perch. He immediately lunged and grabbed the rod, only to be unable to pull it back in. He would’ve followed the rod into the sea had Tamamo Cat not also grabbed him at the same time, her large paws easily wrapping around his diminutive body.

Morgana pulled at the line as Tamamo simultaneously pulled at his body, trying to reel it in. Whatever was on the other end of the line, it was big. Really big. Frankly, he was surprised the line or the rod was holding at all. He thought that they would snap like a twig, but frankly he wasn’t about to dismiss such a blessing. “C-come on, Tama, we g-gotta pull harder!” he growled under the strain.

“I’m pulling, I’m pulling, woof!” she grunted out. “You can do it, Master! I believe in you~!”

He was about to respond when a jerk on the line seized his attention once more. His paws were getting sore from how hard he was gripping it, but like hell he was letting go! He only strengthened his grip, ignoring the strain, and pulled harder. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see the Roman soldiers gathering to watch, but he couldn’t afford them any attention right now. His paws were extremely full with this catch – whatever it was.

“Keep pulling!” Archer called out as he appeared on the prow, looking over the ship, his gaze as intense as if he was staring down his bow. “You almost got it!”

“Master, on the count of three, we pull together, woof! I mean, meow!” Tamamo Cat cried out.

“Right!” Morgana shouted back. “One, two, THREE!” With that, both of them pulled with all their might with loud war cries, and Morgana’s quarry burst into the air with a spray of sea foam. It was a powerful, huge thing, with a broad dorsal fin and a long horn in front. Morgana gaped at it. “Is that a-“ he gasped.

“That’s a-“ Tamamo Cat said at the same time.

“SWORDFISH!!”

---------

“You guys caught a swordfish?”

Roman could only gape as he stared at the holographic image projected, as was Ren and Ritsu through their own communicators. In the background of Morgana’s transmission, the fish was strung up, easily dwarfing the average person standing next to it. Roman soldiers were running to and fro yelling as everyone, even Evander, wanted to look at it. Archer and the new Servant, Tamamo Cat, were in the midst of a serious discussion on how to cook and serve it.

“Yeah, even I’m surprised by it,” he commented, glancing back at the swordfish while scratching his cheek. “I was hoping to catch some tuna, but I’m not gonna complain about a swordfish.”

“Heh, nope,” Ren commented with a chuckle. “You’ve one-upped me in catches for sure, Mona. I’ll have to set the record straight if I can ever get to the seas here.”

“Ha! We’ll see about that, Joker!” Morgana cried challengingly before both of them laughed.

After their laughter subsided, Ren turned serious. “How’s Rider?” he asked.

Morgana’s expression furrowed in worry. “She doesn’t wanna talk to anyone right now,” he replied. “Guess dealing with her sister wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience for her. She’s a real piece of work, no doubt about that. That stupid cup was honestly only a bit more frustrating to deal with.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

Ritsu flinched. “Yikes,” she winced. “That bad, huh? Well, you did say we picked up two new Servants. How are they?”

The catlike being was about to respond when there was a sudden commotion in the background. Turning around, everyone could see a hippogriff landed on the deck, screeching as Astolfo was waving and yelling in front of it. “Down Hippy! DOWN!” he shouted. “This isn’t for you! I’ll try to get you some later but DOWN!” Meanwhile, Tamamo Cat had her claws bared and crouching, hissing at the hippogriff as she stood protectively in front of the swordfish. Meanwhile, Archer had his face buried in his hand as the Roman soldiers struggled to get out of the way – with one or two falling overboard.

All of them could only watch the chaos for a bit before Morgana slowly turned back, regaining everyone’s attention. “They’re… helpful,” he hesitatingly replied. “That’s, uh, as much as I can say about them.”

Ren blinked, then shrugged. “Well, you always did have an eye for people, Mona,” he said with full confidence. “If you think they’ll be helpful, they’ll be helpful.”

Morgana grinned. “Spoken like our leader!” he crowed.

Roman nodded as he turned his gaze over to Ren and Ritsu. “And what about you guys?” he asked. “What’s your status so far?”

“We’re marching west,” Ritsu reported. “So far, no issues since Leonidas’s forces. Haven’t seen much of anyone, really. Most of the locals aren’t here – the various towns and villages we’ve passed by are honestly ghost towns. There didn’t seem to be much fighting, though, but no supplies either. Nero and the legates are working out how to keep the supply train running so we’ve had to slow down a bit.”

Roman, Ren, and Morgana all blinked. “Where’d you hear all that?” the doctor asked in surprise. “Did you manage to observe everything or something?”

Ritsu giggled. “Ren’s way better at observation than me,” she replied, brushing off the comment. “Nah, I was talking to Jing Ke. She keeps a pretty sharp ear and eye around camp while getting sloshed. Honestly, can’t envy her lifestyle but boy does she know how to put it to good use.”

Ren blinked in surprise, then chuckled. “Yep, what she said,” he affirmed. “Nero’s been struggling to put together a logistics train here. She has full confidence that Morgana would be successful, so we’ll be counting on a sea route.” He glanced over to Morgana.

The catlike being nodded. “Yep, Evander’s already working on that, from what I hear,” he confirmed to his friend.

The Phantom Thief nodded. “There’s other things to report, but it’s better not to say them out loud,” he added in a more serious tone. “Da Vinci sent a system update overnight that allows for texts so I’ll send a message. Mona, you’re gonna wanna hear about it too.”

Morgana frowned. “How bad are we talking?” he asked.

Ren shook his head. “Bad enough that we shouldn’t talk about it openly unless we have to,” he replied gravely. Ritsu matched his expression despite her usually sunny disposition. “In other news, though, we’re approaching the point where Ritsu is gonna head off to Gaul and meet up with the emperor’s forces there. A supply train is being formed right now as well as a contingent of soldiers. However, reinforcements will primarily be her, Mash, and Caster.”

Roman frowned. Although he had heard of this plan before and agreed to it, it still disquieted him that they were spreading themselves so thin. It couldn’t be helped but that was cold comfort. He glanced over to Ritsu once more. “It’ll probably be quite an undertaking,” he commented seriously. “Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be alright, as sure as Magi*Mari streams,” she teased, immediately breaking the doctor’s decorum as he began spluttering in surprise, much to Ren and Morgana’s amusement. “After all, I got the awesome Tamamo with me, and the ever-lovely Mashumallow too. I’m so jealous, Ren – you’ve been occupying so much of her attention. It’s unfair. Save some for this poor girl, would you?”

Ren chuckled again. “Alright, alright, I’ll try not to catch her attention too much,” he replied easily. “She seems to want to know more about me though, and she’s eager to learn what she can. I can’t exactly refuse her.”

“Yeah, she IS hard to refuse,” Ritsu agreed with a sigh. Then she grinned again. “So, you’re saying I should get some recompense from you? I’m gonna hold you to that~”

The doctor sighed as Ren turned another shade of red. “Well, seems like everyone’s doing fine,” he concluded with a weary smile. “Get some rest, all of you, and keep us posted. For now, good work.”

“Wait,” Morgana quickly interjected before they could end the call. “Could you forward me to Da Vinci? Got something I wanna talk to her about.”

Roman blinked, then nodded. “She should be in her workshop, but she’ll be happy to get a call from you,” he replied. “I’ll forward your call. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you guys soon.”

With that, the communication ended as Roman tapped a button to forward Morgana over to Da Vinci. He stretched in his chair, curious as to what the two would be talking about it. Well, he’d know in due time. A minute later, a text came through from Ren, shared to everyone else – and Roman blanched as he read it. Ah. No wonder why he wanted to keep it quiet.

“It seems you’ve encountered troubling news, doctor.”

Roman almost jumped out of his seat with a string of barely withheld curses and turned, seeing Siegfried standing nearby. “Oh jeez, you scared me!” he gasped, holding his chest. “You’re pretty quiet, you know that?”

Siegfried smiled ruefully. “My apologies,” he replied contritely. “Startling you was not my intention. If it is any consolation, I have only just arrived.” His expression grew serious. “However, you seem disconcerted. Is there something amiss with the ground team?”

The doctor sighed as he sagged in his seat. “I don’t even know where to begin at this point,” he grumbled. “We’re spreading ourselves thin, Ren nearly killed himself – again – and on top of it all, we have even more enemies now. Really troubling ones to boot.”

The dragon slayer frowned. “Who?” he asked.

Roman shifted to let Siegfried read the text message – and the Saber’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Romulus confirmed as leader of URE. Lev most likely culprit.’

“That is troubling indeed,” he murmured in agreement. Romulus was famed as the founder of Rome and all that came with it – especially its empire. Such a Servant with that much historical and mythological weight to them would be almost atrociously powerful. At least he wasn’t situated in Rome itself, but that was poor consolation. “Do our Masters have a plan?”

The doctor rubbed his temples. “They only found out about them recently,” he replied. “And there’s still a lot going on right now. So far, no plans. I’m sure once they have something, they’ll let us know. We’ve been trying to get a read on the United Roman Empire capital but so far, our scans are being interfered with. Most likely they’ll need to get closer before we can get a decent view of what’s going on.”

Siegfried nodded, contemplating. “In that case,” he suggested. “Perhaps it would be prudent to alert the other Servants as much as we can. The less time needed to brief them before they are dispatched, the better.”

Roman glanced up at the Saber then sighed. “Good idea,” he agreed before reaching over to hit the intercom button – before a gauntleted hand stopped him.

“Allow me,” the dragonslayer offered. “I shall contact the other Servants and brief them. We will discuss what will be viable and will ask if we require more information. You, in the meantime, must rest. Will that be suitable?”

The doctor blinked, then sighed once more. “Is everyone going to tell me I need rest?” he grumbled. “I thought I’m resting a lot already.”

“We appreciate your efforts, doctor,” Siegfried corrected. “However, even the greatest warriors will find their abilities lacking if they fight while exhausted. I shall find Marie as well and ask if she can take over. I hope this is agreeable?”

Roman could only blow out a long breath before smiling weakly. “Alright, you win, Siegfried,” he admitted. “I’ll wait til Marie shows up, then get some rest.”

The dragonslayer nodded, satisfied, and walked off, soon disappearing into a shower of golden dust. Meanwhile, the doctor turned back to his computer and took another sip of his coffee – yet another attempt at Ren’s recipe, even trying to tinker with it a little bit. And the result…

The thick liquid poured down his throat as he made a face at the taste. He really should stop wasting coffee beans until Ren came back…

----------

After the battle in the mountain pass, things had been relatively straightforward. Leaving a small garrison manning the defenses, the Roman forces along with the Chaldeans went back to Mediolanum to restock and regroup, with officers trying to sally forth more reinforcements. They could only scrounge up a scant hundred. Scouts reported packs of loyal soldiers would be joining them as they marched west, but optimistic estimates were about three hundred at the absolute most.

The grim faces from Nero and the officers as they went over the numbers and reports told Ren all he needed to know. This offensive was the last chance they had. If they were defeated or broken, then the Roman Empire would fall. Everyone already suspected that, but the desperate defense in the pass followed by the stark numbers truly hammered that in for everyone present.

“However, we are true-blooded Romans!” Nero cried after the implications were sinking in. “You saw what those soldiers they fielded were: Nothing more than soulless puppets! How could any Roman with any ounce of pride bear with that? Umu, we shall be victorious in the end! Once again, I ask you to follow me, and we shall seize victory ere all is done!”

Despite the fiery words of the emperor however, Ren could still see how despondent the officers were. And judging from the strain he could see on Nero’s face, he wasn’t sure if the emperor herself truly believed her own words. Not surprising, given the odds stacked against them and the news that the progenitor of Rome was also their enemy.

Once more, Loki’s words echoed in his mind. How many times did he have to don a brave face so that the other Phantom Thieves wouldn’t lose confidence and they could all push forward? How many times did he feel the cold grip of fear and terror around his spine when some adult started bearing their weight down on them, or when they were fighting desperately against some insurmountable foe? He would, without a doubt, fight tooth and nail against those who wanted to confine him, but that didn’t mean he was immune to fear, after all.

And once more, he was reminded of said fear as he watched a separate convoy be prepared to head north. As they had just briefed Roman, Ritsu was going to be heading to Gaul to reinforce Nero’s forces there. Caster would be accompanying her, with her spells being a major boon for any battlefield. Mash would also be going as Ritsu needed the protection of the Shielder far more. Though reluctant, the lilac-haired girl accepted without any argument. Nero’s allies in Gaul were seasoned veterans, so Ritsu’s lack of experience wouldn’t be an issue.

Passing by the main path, he saw the soldiers loading up carts and hitching up packhorses and donkeys. As usual, officers barked out orders as soldiers inventoried the items being packed. From what Nero told them, approximately four hundred men would be sent to reinforce Gaul. Counting the garrisons they would have to leave behind as well as the soldiers they would collect on the way, Nero’s forces would have approximately thirteen hundred soldiers when they hit Massalia – not a reassuring number, overall. A whopping five thousand soldiers had been dispatched to Gaul, but who knew what the situation was like there?

Making way past a few rows of tents, he finally came to his destination: Ritsu’s tent. From the entrance flap, he could hear sounds of muttering from Ritsu, albeit indistinct. Raising a hand, he knocked on the tent pole.

“Come in!” Ritsu called out. Ren stepped in. Ritsu’s tent was much like his own: Barren overall, with no furniture. A backpack sat nearby with a rolled-up bedroll easily strapped on top. Considering how messy Ritsu’s room in Chaldea was, it was rather surprising overall the tent was this clean – though, it wasn’t like she had a lot of items to make a mess with.

Speaking of the girl, she glanced up as Ren stepped in and beamed. “Heya, Ren!” she greeted cheerfully. “Just double-checking what I need to bring with me for the campaign. Should be used to traveling light, but I keep thinking I forgot something. Can’t bring the entire tent with me though. If I get a new tent, I’m hoping I only have to share with Mash.”

Ren chuckled. “I’m sure she’d appreciate that,” he replied, leaning against the tent pole. “Are you doing alright, Ritsu?”

Ritsu paused, then sighed. “To be honest? No, I’m not,” she admitted bluntly. She sat down on the ground, hugging her knees to herself. “We’ve been going from battlefield to battlefield where we’ve come too close to dying one too many times. We’re facing against… Roman soldier terminators and Servants. Like, a few weeks ago, I was back home surfing the internet for the newest Phantom Thieves model. And now here I am in ancient Rome, hoping to God I don’t get splattered by…. I dunno what at this point.”

The redhead breathed out a tired sounding breath before giving a weary smile. “Sorry, this is probably old hat to you,” she apologized ruefully. “Just gotta knuckle down and do what I can, right? Whining about it isn’t gonna get anywhere.” She prepared to stand back up – and blinked with surprise as Ren instead decided to sit beside her instead.

“No, I get it,” he replied quietly. “Honestly, I haven’t really done anything like this before. I got some more experience in fighting and handling things, but even then, that doesn’t really detract from the whole situation. It’s pretty big, after all.”

Ritsu gave a shaky grin. “What?” she jokingly cried. “The big, bad leader of the Phantom Thieves, afraid? Oh nooo~ My image of my idol is breaking down before my very eyes~ What ever am I to do~?”

Ren laughed in response. “I’m sure you’ll manage,” he replied, grinning over at the girl, who smiled back in return. “You’re a lot stronger and bigger than you think you are. Just keep looking forward and putting one foot in front of the other. You’ll be surprised at how far that’d get you, even in the worst of times.”

The girl eyed Ren. “Speaking from experience?” she asked quietly. She heard details of his backstory from the debriefing he had given to Roman and Da Vinci. Her gut burned from the sheer injustice of it all. At the same time, it all made sense to her why Ren became a Phantom Thief in the first place. As much as she loved the Phantom Thieves, she only wished he never had to go through that.

He only smiled sadly in response. “Kept me going, at least,” he admitted. “But tell you what – if you need a bit of courage or encouragement, just let me know and I’ll give you the push you need. Sounds good?”

The redhead blinked with surprise, then smiled wryly. “Well, look at you, being so considerate,” she purred. “But it wouldn’t sit right with me if I’m only taking from you. What do you need from me in return?” Then her smile widened as her gaze turned mischievous. “You did say I’m ‘bigger’,” she commented. “Are you saying you wanna cop a fe-“

“That isn’t what I meant and you know it,” Ren grumbled, forcing down the blush in his face as Ritsu giggled in response. At least the girl was feeling better, but what would he want from her in return…? “Confide and tell me anything that’s on your mind without hiding it,” Ren said. “I can’t exactly give you the needed push without that.”

Ritsu blinked. “That’s it?” she asked in surprise before pouting. “And here I thought you’d be more daring. Why’d you have to be such a gentleman.” Then she smiled once more. “Still, you got yourself a deal, buddy. Looking forward to your help from now on.”

Ren grinned in response before feeling a familiar warmth flow through him, then was left blinking at which arcana that was unlocked. Before he could look into it any further, he heard a knock on the tentpole. “Come in!” Ritsu called out once more.

Mash stepped in, blinking in surprise as she looked over at Ren. “Oh, Ren-senpai!” she stammered. “I didn’t expect to see you here!”

The Phantom Thief chuckled. “I do pop up in a lot of unexpected places,” he admitted easily, standing up. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

The shielder shook her head. “Oh, no, that won’t be necessary,” she quickly reassured him. “In fact, it’s better if you’re here, Ren-senpai.” That said, she looked over to Ritsu. “The contingent is ready to leave, Ritsu-senpai,” she explained. “They’re ready to go at any time.”

Ritsu blinked. “Huh,” she muttered. “Romans never surprise me with how fast they move.” She stood up and stretched, feeling the stress leave her bones. “Alright, first thing’s first,” she declared. With a spin on her heel, she opened her arms towards Ren. “Hug me.”

That caught Ren by surprise. “I’m sorry?” he asked.

“You said you’re gonna give me encouragement,” Ritsu stated. “And I’m about to set off, so I need encouragement now. Hug me.”

Ren glanced over to Mash, who looked just as surprised as he felt, then chuckled. “Alright then,” he accepted. “A deal’s a deal.” With that, he stepped forward and took her in his embrace, with Ritsu easily reciprocated, wrapping him into an extremely eager, tight hug. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he got a hug from… well, almost anyone. Feeling her warmth against him was… nice.

“You get over here too, Mashumallow!” Ritsu called out after turning her head to face the shielder. “You’re also gonna need the encouragement, and I know you’ve been dying for a hug from Ren too!”

“R-Ritsu-senpai!” Mash stammered, a blush immediately leaping to her cheeks. She glanced nervously at Ren, unsure what to do – who simply smiled and opened an arm towards her.

“Come here, Mash,” he reassured her.

Mash hesitated for a second in surprise, then slowly walked closer and hesitatingly wrapped her arms around the both of them. Ritsu immediately grabbed her and pulled her into a fierce hug with them, catching the shy girl by surprise. After a moment of surprise, with her feeling Ritsu’s and Ren’s arms around her, she closed her eyes and returned their hug, her grip tightening. Ren had to wonder - just how many times had Mash been hugged?

He didn’t want to think of the answer.

But for now, with the three of them hugging each other, Mash feeling especially soft despite her armor and enhanced strength, he simply accepted it for now. It was a parting, but just like with Morgana, it wasn’t permanent. They would all see each other again.

He would make sure of it.