10:45 AM — Outdoor Corridor Outside the Central Control Room, New Chaldea Wandering Sea Base
Suddenly, a pink door appeared midair. When it opened, two figures tumbled out.
"Whew… finally back." Steve brushed grass clippings off his body and casually stored the Anywhere Door into the white four-dimensional pocket on his abdomen.
The blush on Fujimaru Ritsuka's face had faded considerably, though a faint trace of embarrassment lingered. She glanced at the closed control-room door at the corridor's end, sensing the low-pressure atmosphere through the thick metal.
"Um… Steve." Ritsuka swallowed, took a half step back, and forced a smile. "Now that I think about it, I need to deliver the Nordic specialties I brought back to Director Goredolf… Well then, I'll be going now!"
Before Steve could react, the last human Master—who had faced countless life-or-death situations—displayed agility rivaling a Heroic Spirit (in other words, faster than Heracles). She disappeared around the corner as if oil had been applied to her feet.
"Hey! Shouldn't we share the burden at times like this?!" Steve's outstretched hand froze as Ritsuka vanished. He sighed helplessly. This was the sort of situation that made him feel it was better to die than let a fellow believer perish. He straightened his collar and assumed a calm expression—time to face the gates of hell.
…
Central Control Room — Break Area
When Steve pushed open the door, a cold air rushed out. It wasn't a physical chill but a mental one. Staff members, including Meuniere, huddled at their workstations like quails, keeping keystrokes quiet.
Sion sat upright on the break-room sofa, holding a coffee cup whose steam had long since disappeared. Her long purple hair fell over her shoulders; her eyes shimmered dangerously behind her glasses, as if appraising something.
The phantom of Osiris behind her had vanished, but the aura of "explain yourself or I'll turn you into an ether sample" remained.
"Hey, Sion… you must be tired from work." Steve sat across from her, crossing his legs. "Looks like Trismegistus II's computational efficiency improved again. As expected of you."
Sion remained silent, tapping the cup's rim with her fingertips. Each "ting" felt like a blow to Steve's heart.
The silence lasted ten seconds.
"…Steve." Her voice was eerily calm. "Regarding the physical phenomenon in maintenance corridor C and the subsequent spatial escape incident… as Chaldea's technical advisor, I demand a detailed, logical explanation from you—without deception such as your so-called astonishing wisdom."
"Indeed." Steve adopted a solemn expression. "That is why I returned."
"Running away is not my style. When facing a problem, the adult way is to solve it." He cleared his throat and began his performance.
"First, that accident—I already explained it. It was caused by a lubricating oil leak. As for the escape—it wasn't an escape but Emergency evacuation."
"Emergency evacuation?" Sion raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Steve kept a straight face. "Your mental state then was extremely unstable. To prevent you from unintentionally damaging Chaldea's structures or causing mental trauma to Ritsuka, I had no choice but to remove her from the scene. It was a protective measure for Chaldea's assets (people and buildings)."
"Oh." Sion gave a cold laugh. "Perfect excuse."
"So, how was that feeling? When I replayed surveillance footage, your fingers seemed to move slightly, didn't they?" she asked.
Steve's lips twitched. "That was… a nervous reflex. Like the patellar tendon reflex: when the body loses balance, peripheral nerves trigger an unconscious grasping motion. It's purely biological, with no subjective will."
"Hmm?" Sion set down her cup and leaned forward, staring into Steve's eyes as if to see through him. "Then why did you elope with her?"
"You went to such a wonderful place… that was a date, right? Definitely a date!"
The sourness in the air intensified.
Steve realized this was decisive. If mishandled, everything could unravel. He dropped his indifferent mask; his eyes grew serious, tinged with helplessness.
"Sion, are you jealous?"
He called quietly.
Sion faltered. Her earlier aggression vanished; a faint blush bloomed and her gaze flickered. "Who—who's jealous?"
"I'm thinking of team harmony. As technical advisor, it's undesirable for impure romantic relationships between Master and Servant. They would harm the efficiency of humanity's salvation!"
Steve leaned back and smiled. "That's good. Because… at the moment, there is no impure relationship between Ritsuka and me. To me, she's a comrade I can trust and a junior I want to protect, but nothing more." He paused. "Furthermore, I think something should be confirmed with you, Sion."
"What?" she asked.
"Our relationship is… special. We share dreams, exchange technology; in a sense we're accomplices. But—" Steve waved a finger gently, "we're not dating, right?"
Sion stiffened. It was true: their relationship had exceeded ordinary bounds, and rumors had spread through Chaldea, but no one had formally declared a relationship. "If we haven't built a relationship, there's no exclusive right." Steve's voice was gentle but his logic sharp. "Theoretically, then, as long as it doesn't violate Chaldea's rules or impede humanity's restoration, you have no reason to get angry or stop me."
That was the match-winning shot. Sion, who prized rationality above all, had no logical refutation. Her rationality—her greatest quality—had become her weakness. Seeing her frustration, Steve realized his gamble had paid off.
Instead of exploiting the edge, he offered a sweet reward. "But…" He looked at her gently, "I haven't promised you anything… nor anyone. Right now I have no intention of dating Ritsuka, Mash, or any Heroic Spirit. I don't belong to any era or individual. I am a savior fighting for the history of all humanity. It might sound despicable, but think of it as I belong to all humanity. Because of that, I do not belong to any individual."
He leaned forward and whispered, "You don't have to worry about me running away. I'm not leaving. I am here in New Chaldea, with you and with everyone. As long as I belong to no one, won't you remain the most important person to me?"
Silence. Sion stared at Steve, parsing this sophistry that was logically flawed yet oddly reassuring. Logically it was evasion; emotionally it wasn't entirely wrong. If he belonged to no one, as her Master and technical counterpart, she occupied a privileged position.
Sion sighed, releasing her frustration. She pushed up her glasses and reclaimed her calm, rational demeanor—with a faint arrogance. "Truly… breathtaking sophistry, Steve."
She snorted but the corner of her mouth rose. "Elevating not wanting to take responsibility to for all humanity—that's just like you."
"Thank you for the compliment." Steve smiled.
"However—" Sion's gaze sharpened. "This is merely the conclusion at the present moment. Within this framework I accept your interpretation. Since we aren't dating, I have no right to interfere in your private life. Just remember this: I'm not giving up. Being in an unconfirmed state means the future can change. I will continue calculating and devising strategies until we derive the perfect formula where you cannot escape, cannot refute, and can only obediently nod. At that time…" She traced Steve's collar with a fingertip and smiled meaningfully.
"You'd better be prepared, my servant."
She turned and returned to her workstation, fingers gliding across the keyboard. "Alright, enough chatting. Since you're back, let's get to work. The Shadow Border's engine parameters still need fine-tuning. You seem to have plenty of time for trips to Northern Europe, so I'll leave this task to you."
"…Yes, Master."
Steve stood, offered a clumsy salute, and gave a wry smile as Sion retreated. He wiped a nonexistent bead of cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a secret sigh of relief. They had survived—at least for now.
The ceasefire was temporary; fiercer battles might come. He watched Sion absorbed in work and felt a complex warmth in his chest. He claimed to belong to all humanity, but in a crisis-filled world it was rare to find someone who tenaciously pursued her own path. It didn't seem so bad.
Still… next time, stay away from lubricating oil.
Steve quietly swore.
…
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