"Dear Zuke, please choose the mission world to enter: 1. Dragon Ball; 2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; 3. Fate/Zero."
"...It's like the very thing I feared just showed up."
Seeing the third world on the list made Zuke's mouth twitch.
In the JoJo world earlier, Zuke had been frustrated at not finding Dio's mansion. He'd even joked to himself that if he went to the Type-Moon world, he'd be cursed with a "Lucky E" attribute.
But unexpectedly, after clearing JoJo's world, the third option that appeared was indeed Type-Moon's world.
The plot of Fate/Zero may focus mainly on the Fourth Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City, but there's no doubt it exists within the broader Type-Moon universe.
The participants in the Grail War include figures like professors from the Clock Tower and a mage killer who encountered vampires in his youth.
To think it wouldn't touch on other Type-Moon lore would be self-deception.
Zuke clicked on the mission world details for Fate/Zero and saw the main quest for this world.
"Current World: Fate/Zero"
"Main Quest: Obtain the Grail of the Fourth Holy Grail War."
"Player Zuke's power synchronization: 0%"
"Please progress in the main quest to unlock synchronization."
This time, the main mission wasn't to eliminate someone but to acquire the Grail—yes, that same Grail that spews black mud in the end.
But what really had Zuke worried was that he couldn't think of any power he could obtain in the Holy Grail War.
Synchronization lets him bring new powers from the mission world back with him.
The Dragon Ball world had given him terrifying combat power, and JoJo's world awakened his Stand ability, which could even absorb other things to gain new abilities.
But in the Type-Moon world, especially in the limited scope of the Fourth Holy Grail War, what valuable new power could he find to synchronize?
He couldn't exactly go immerse himself in the Sea of Evil now, could he? He wasn't some bodiless Heroic Spirit, and dipping into that stuff would do him no good at all.
As for abandoning the Grail War and wandering elsewhere in the Type-Moon universe for power…
That'd be pointless; without synchronization, gaining power would be for nothing.
Even if he became some overpowered entity, wreaking havoc and all, as long as he didn't obtain the Grail, his synchronization rate would remain 0%, and he wouldn't be able to keep any of it.
"This main quest and synchronization system are straight-up obstacles to exploring the map," Zuke sighed, feeling exasperated with this main mission setup.
The Dragon Ball world mission was much better: eliminate Frieza… though it was difficult, at least he didn't have to worry about Frieza suddenly dropping dead on his own along the way.
Before the plot reached the Namek arc, Zuke had plenty of time to explore the Dragon Ball world map, grow stronger, and then take Frieza down in one go.
"All I can do is take it step by step; I'll see how things are in the mission world tomorrow," he muttered, glancing at the first option on the list: Dragon Ball, the main source of his power.
The combat power in that world was indeed immense, but given the galactic map, travel times were long.
Reaching Planet Zuno alone would take several days; even now, Zuke had to wait another four days.
In the JoJo world, he had gotten an even stronger sense of the advantage his Dragon Ball combat power gave him, making him more eager to make progress in Dragon Ball.
With only 40 power, he could beat Dio like a dog, and that feeling was immensely satisfying.
{Transitioning to Shin}
Slowly opening his eyes, Shin instinctively reached out to his side.
His sleeping posture was standard, so his phone, placed within arm's reach, was in no danger of falling off the bed, allowing him to check the time immediately upon waking.
But this time, instead of grabbing his phone, he touched something soft.
"Mmm…"
A soft groan sounded beside him, and Shin realized what he'd touched.
He was in trouble—he probably needed to break his habit of reaching out immediately upon waking.
"Shin, this early in the morning… it's a bit much, don't you think?"
As he turned his head, he saw that his touch had woken Sayo Ogiwara.
Having endured enough excitement last night for her first time, Sayo was now blushing as she woke to Shin's accidental touch.
"Cough, cough, that was an accident; I was just reaching for my phone," Shin cleared his throat awkwardly, quickly picking up his phone from beside his pillow and checking the time.
8:30… luckily, not too late.
Though they'd stayed up until 12:30 the night before, the mission world's eight-hour rest was very precise.
"You're going out this early?" Seeing Shin getting up, Sayo also sat up, looking at him with her face flushed as he dressed.
"Yes, I have some plans with a classmate," Shin nodded. It was Saturday, the day he had agreed to meet with Yukinoshita Yukino. He needed to wait for Yukino to give him the details, then relay them to Akagi.
He didn't like going back on his word.
"Oh, right. I might be back late today, so feel free to go buy yourself some clothes and food. Don't wait for me."
After dressing, he took out his wallet, pulled out some money, and placed it on the table.
"And get some towels, a cup, and other personal items. If you run out of money, let me know."
If it had been yesterday, he might have hesitated to spend so much all at once, but now Shin didn't worry at all.
After today, he planned to earn some money.
He had noticed that the Stand-awakening "Arrow" was lying right on the table, almost as if it had been placed there carelessly from the start.
With that, he wouldn't even need to do the work himself to make money.
"Eh…? Okay," Sayo said, stunned, before quickly nodding as she sat on the bed, seeing the money he had left on the table.
She'd thought she might be thrown out after today, but hearing Shin mention buying essentials, she understood she would likely stay with him long-term.
—Does this count as being kept?
Sayo blushed, hiding her face behind the covers, feeling shy.
If Shin knew her thoughts, he'd probably think she was overthinking things.
If simply offering a place to stay counted as keeping someone, then this would be the cheapest arrangement ever.
In a way, Sayo's values were indeed a little skewed, and perhaps Shin would have to guide her back to a more grounded perspective in the future.
To be continued...
Advance 50 Chapters are up on my Patreon.
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Btw, Hand over your Power Stones! Ningen!