"What's? What happened?" In the midst of chaos, Hoshino gradually regained consciousness. As her awareness returned, the surrounding scenery became clearer.
"Where is this?" Looking around, she found herself standing in a clean, bright, and technologically advanced hallway. The overwhelming sense of déjà vu swirled in her mind.
"I've never been here before, so why does it feel so familiar?" Rubbing her head, Hoshino felt a headache. This place she had never been to gave her a sense of having seen it thousands of times.
"Huh?! What's with this outfit?" She looked down at her clothing. A pitch-black robe had replaced her original clothes. While girls have a variety of clothing, Hoshino was sure she didn't own anything this strange.
"Hmm?" Hoshino was startled as footsteps approached from the end of the hallway. Facing the unknown, she instinctively pulled up the hood of her robe, pressed herself against the wall, and tried to find a sense of security to dispel her fear.
As the footsteps grew closer, Hoshino felt her legs start to tremble.
"Yo~ Medea, good evening." A casual greeting, the passing red-clad man didn't even glance at the trembling Hoshino in the corner.
"Hey? Emiya!" Hoshino couldn't stay as calm as the man in front of her, because his face was all too familiar.
Hearing the voice from behind, Emiya stopped and turned to observe Hoshino in the corner. "I thought it was Medea, but it's actually Master!"
Bending down, he removed her hood, revealing a trembling Hoshino. "Master, what are you doing here? Cosplaying as Medea?"
Looking at Emiya's confused expression, Hoshino didn't know how to explain her current situation.
Seeing her panic, Emiya seemed to guess the gist of it.
"Calm down a bit, Master. Are you hungry? Should I make you something to eat?" Mama Emiya side shone through.
At the mention of food, Hoshino nodded silently.
"Come on, let's go to the cafeteria" Emiya smiled warmly and motioned for Hoshino to follow him.
As they walked, Hoshino finally understood the source of her strong sense of déjà vu. This place was Chaldea. Although she had never been here personally, she had seen it countless times.
That meant the man in front of her was the real Emiya. Realizing this, Hoshino felt a bit excited—she was actually going to eat Emiya's cooking, a wish of many type-moon fan.
Chaldea truly lived up to being a hub of human wisdom. Every detail showcased the charm of modern science, and the various automated facilities dazzled Hoshino. Arriving at the kitchen, the automatic doors silently opened to reveal a clean and bright dining room. At the northern table, a familiar face was quietly eating skewers of mochi.
"Artoria!" Seeing the all-too-familiar face, Hoshino blurted out. The "Artoria" eating mochi trembled at the sound of Hoshino's voice, dropping the mochi onto the table.
"I'm Okita, not Artoria! Why am I always mistaken for her? I wants to cry." Okita raised her head, looking at Hoshino and complaining.
On closer inspection, the cherry-colored hair indicated it was indeed Okita. But with a face identical to Artoria's, it was no wonder Hoshino made the mistake.
"Hey!? Master?" Okita, mid-complaint, finally saw Hoshino's face under the Medea cloak.
"I thought you were Medea! Even Master didn't recognize me. Now i an doubly sad." Okita sulkily stuffed the fallen mochi into her mouth.
"Nom nom,..but Master, what are you doing? Playing Medea cosplay?" Chewing the mochi, Okita quickly recovered. "If you're into cosplay, include me too. I've always wanted to cosplay as the legendary King Arthur."
"Okita, don't you find my presence here a bit odd?" Hoshino was exasperated, feeling like her presence in Chaldea was treated as normal. Okita didn't seem surprised, even though it was Hoshino's first time here.
"Nom nom, uh, what's strange?" Chewing the mochi, Okita's expression changed.
"Why is Master here? This is big news!" Okita finally reacted, exclaiming.
"Too loud, Okita. You'll scare Master." Emiya, carrying a plate of omelet rice, placed it in front of Hoshino. "Eat, Master. Calm down a bit and then tell me what happened."
"Okay." Picking up a spoon, Hoshino tasted the omelet rice, her eyes lighting up. "It's so good! This familiar taste, it's like a mother's cooking."
Emiya crossed his arms, smiling wryly. He didn't understand why everyone said his cooking tasted like a mother's.
Halfway through the omelet rice, Hoshino's thoughts became clearer.
"I remember, just before I lost consciousness, I saw Medea." She tapped her head, trying to recall.
"As expected, it has something to do with Medea." Seeing Hoshino's outfit, Emiya had already guessed it involved Medea.
"And there was going to be some duel?" Hoshino didn't want to miss any clue, as even small details could break the current deadlock. "It was called a Shadow game?!"
"Yes, a shadow game!" Hoshino finally realized. "We fell into Bakura's shadow game, and our souls were sealed in the cards."
"I originally handed over Mash's card, but then Medea talked to me and swapped Mash with herself." Hoshino now understood what Medea meant by "the darkness in Bakura's soul."
"That's right, Senpai, it's a shadow game!" The kitchen's automatic doors opened again, revealing Mash.
"Senpai, you can't yet resist the power of the shadow game, so Miss Medea took my place... no, she took your place in this shadow game." Mash said with a serious expression.
"Mash..." Hoshino looked at her in confusion.
"I'll explain the details to you, Senpai. Please come with me to the central control room." In a reliable tone, Mash took Hoshino's hand and led her out of the dining room. "I'll teach you the real way to counter the so-called shadow game."
"Master, I'll come too." Emiya, worried, followed Hoshino out of the dining room.
"It sounds serious. I also help Master." Okita said, following them.
...
"Huh? Master, why are you here?" The group leaving the dining room ran into Artoria, who was preparing for another meal. Seeing their serious expressions, Artoria understood something was wrong and silently joined them.
"Isn't this Master? Why are you here?" Siegfried, strolling in the hallway, also joined, sensing the group's purpose.
"Wow, so many people! Count me in." The returning "Dog" joined them too. "Oh? A wild Master appears."
...
"Senpai, we're here. This is the central control room." Mash skillfully input the password, opening the central control room door. "From here, we can clearly see what's happening outside."
"I see." Hoshino nodded quickly. Understanding the progress of the dark game was indeed urgent.
"But..." She looked at the crowd behind her. "Why did so many people come along?!"
Most of the existing Chaldea Servants were present, including several Berserkers who couldn't even speak properly.
"Of course, because we worry about Master." "To pass the time." "It seems serious..." "Roar!!" "Oh my!!" "Destroy the oppressors with love!!"
"Shut up, all of you!!"