Author Notes:

HE~LLOOOOOW! Here there is your friend Striker-san with a new story! A crossover between Fate Grand Order and Highschool DxD!

I hope this chapter is of your liking!

Chapter 1: First Order Part 1

Fujimaru Ritsuka was not what you may call an outstanding individual in all sense of the word. Rather, he was simply a normal high-school student who came from an equally normal family with no prestige or fame. Even if he maintained an impressive prowess in certain activities, his feats were still on the scope of 'normalcy' as he was not the stronger, more talented nor smarter in his home town.

A guy like him was not what you would call a Hero in all sense of the word and his more talented peers usually reminded him this fact, saying that he wouldn't do something outstanding. He didn't mind the insults since he's that forgiving with others.

Besides, he himself was well-aware of his situation but it wasn't such a bother for him. He's happy with the life he has, even though sometimes he wanted more exciting things to happen in his life

Imagine his surprise when he received a call from Chaldea, a prestigious and well-known organization where the best of the best works in several development fields to ensure Humanity's prosperity.

He decided to sign up since he noticed a flyer while he was walking the station browsing the board for him to get a decent job that he could earn a living for… Well, it was more a gamble since Chaldea is very selective with its new members.

Of course, his selection to become part of the organization staff has anything to do with his academic scores or achievements—because he knew that's not the case!—rather, he was picked up out of sheer random luck.

…

Yeah, certainly, it wasn't the most impressive thing to see but Ritsuka was fine as long as he could do his job and prove the others he can become a reliable individual with a lot to offer.

That plan was thrown out of the window when he fell unconscious in the middle of the hallway after a few weeks. He didn't need to be a genius to know others staff members will laugh at his misfortune.

[Look at the bright sight~! You can amuse people and brighten their days with your humorous damn luck]

…

Oh right. He also has this thing inside his head.

If there was something that could be described as 'uncommon' in Ritsuka's seemingly ordinary background was the fact that he has a second entity trapped on his head. A little voice that he wasn't able to heard until 2 months ago, and its presence still frighten him.

[How rude! I have feelings too, you know!]The voice whined in fake sadness.

'Shush you, Neo'

[Make me, puny human~]

The voice—named Neo by Ritsuka—was an unwanted partner that usually shows up when Ritsuka was having troubles to give him aid and also mock him too. He basically has a passive-aggressive mindset.

[Love you too, Ritsu~]

"Kyu!"

The teen was about to argue back but suddenly he felt was a soft and wet tongue(?) brushing against his cheeks, along with an incomprehensible sound that couldn't belong to any animal existing in the world.

'Why does it sound like a pokemon?' That was the only thought in his mind as he fluttered his eyes. "Ughhh…! Please, stop it…!" He muttered under his breath as whatever it was on his face, trying to coerce it to leave him has his nap.

LICK! LICK! LICK!

Sadly, though, his protests were futile and it continues on licking him!

[I would mind this if it was a girl licking our nether regions…]

'Shut up, perv!'

"Fou!"

LICK! LICK! LICK!

"Hey, didn't you hear what I just said!?" He grunted in annoyance as he quickly raised his arm to take the thing atop him but, when he had a better look of who was licking his face, Ritsuka got a dumbstruck look.

"Fou!"

It was a tiny animal with snow white fur with a pair of purple eyes, a long fluffy tail and large pointy ears. It's also wearing some kind of garment around its neck—a little weird but it wasn't uncommon for owner to dress their pets some times.

"Umm…" Now, Ritsuka may be an average guy with no real knowledge about zoology but he could tell this little thing was not a normal animal. Its traits were ambiguous and even alien in some way too considering how remarkably unique was its anatomy.

[He looks like a Pokemon! Hey, let's catch it!]

Ignoring Neon's babblings (HEY!), Ritsuka just stared at the small being with a stunned look, trying to decipher what it was.

"Kyu!" The small squirrel(?) shouted cheerfully as it began to brush itself around his hands.

"Just what the heck are you, little guy?"

"Fou!" The small animal pouted at his comment, it seemed a bit offended by the comparison.

"Gee…! Sorry, sorry. It was not my intention to upset you" Ritsuka smirked nervously at the animal's reaction and apologized with it quickly.

[Talk for yourself. This guy looks are so awfully to that of a pokemon that it wouldn't surprise me if he was one, albeit a pokemon with denial delusions but still!]

"Kyu~!"

"Umm… Excuse me…"

A new voice suddenly broke Ritsuka's train of thought as he noticed that there was a girl staring at him with a puzzle look, perhaps she was wondering why he was laying on the ground or why he was talking with an animal (perhaps both).

The mysterious girl seemed to be around his age, she has pale skin, short pink hair, whose bang covered her cute looking purple eyes, and she was using square glasses. Her attire consisted in white jacket along with a black t-shirt and a red tie, a black-colored skirt and a pair of brown shoes.

[OH! A CUTIE! THAT GIRL IS A HOT MEGANEKKO!] Neon bellowed with a pervert tone, making Ritsuka groan.

"…Umm, since it's neither morning nor night, please wake up, Senpai" The girl said to the black-haired guy.

'I'm awake though…' The blue-eyed teen thought dryly before glancing back at the squirrel-like animal. "I take she is friends of yours" He asked the white-furred being, who simply bellowed 'Fou!' in approval.

"Eh?" The pinkette tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"Ah, sorry… I was talking with this little fellow" Ritsuka explained with an apologetic smile as he putted the small animal on the floor to get up. "I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka by the way… Umm… What's your name again?" He asked, scratching his cheek nervously.

"That's….kind of a hard question to answer suddenly. Maybe I'm not important enough for you to know my name?" The pink-haired girl adopted a more thoughtful look at her own statement, making the male teen to look at her with confusion. "Uh, no I do have a name. It's a proper name. But I never really had the chance to use it…..I'm afraid I don't leave such a good impression…." the girl said to him.

[O-K…]

"She didn't answer my question…" The black-haired teen sweat-dropped at the girl's antics as he furrowed his eyebrows with some confusion regarding her weird explanation.

"Umm…can I ask a question, Senpai?" The purple-eyed girl asked.

"Hm…? Yeah?"

"You were asleep, but I don't understand why you would sleep in the hall. Can you not sleep unless it's a hard bed?" She gave him a puzzle look as if she was trying to decode a mystery.

"Oh… That" Hearing such a question, Ritsuka's face reddened a bit as he turned his gaze to the other side. "Well, to be honest I don't remember how I ended up sleeping in the floor… Heheh" He answered with embarrassment.

"You don't remember? That's quite strange. Will you care to elaborate fur—Kyah!" Whatever the girl was about to say was interrupted when fox-squirrel creature suddenly jumped at her face.

[The heck…?!]

"H-Hey, are you alright?"

"Ah, don't worry. Fou tends to do these kind of things pretty often" The purple-eyed girl responded and the white-furred animal barked in affirmation as it began to crawl over the top of the girl's head and finally land on her should.

"Yeah… I can tell" Ritsuka commented dryly as he let out an awkward chuckle, figuring out that Fou's actions were a mechanic to beg for some attention.

[She must be way too used of this behavior if she says this with such an straight face] Neon commented, getting a silent nod from its partner.

"Sorry, Senpai" Turning to the black-haired teen, the girl pointed to the creature with her chin, slightly embarrassed. "This squirrel-like creature is Fou. He's a Privileged Life-Form allowed to freely walk around Chaldea. Fou led me here and that's how I ran right into you, Senpai" She introduced to the creature.

"So he must be some kind of pet" Ritsuka hummed at the thought. While it wouldn't be much of a surprise considering that some employees are allowed to had pets even in their jobs, a place like Chaldea didn't hit him as place that allowed such liberties so this revelation impressed him a bit.

"Kyu!" Fou pulled his little head forward and sniffed several times. The creature that had so comfortably rested on the girl's shoulders jumped instantly and in one continuous movement rushed through the hallway, with such speed that Mashu had to recoil from the force. In one motion, the creature disappeared around the corner, leaving the girl to look surprised at the escaped Fou.

"Oh... He often does this" The girl tried to console Ritsuka with a kind smile, a bit sad for the creature's rude departure.

"Wait, he ran off all the time? Then that means no one observes him… Wouldn't it be a problem? He could cause a ruckus and bother the other members if you don't survey him" Ritsuka asked with some concern for the animal and the staff.

The girl simply shook her head. "No. So far, Fou had never caused any trouble on Chaldea that were considered a collateral damage and privacy intrusion since he never comes near to anyone except from me" She explained to the blue-eyed teen with a neutral look before a faint smirk bloomed on her face. ·He doesn't show himself much to anyone, so you've already done more than most other people!" She pointed out with a hint of humor.

"Well, animals tend to be at ease around me" Ritsuka confessed with a thoughtful nod.

"Congratulations! Now you can be the second caretaker of Fou in Chaldea."

"Wait what"

[Oi! You may be a total cutie but don't drag others to your problems!]

"Ah, there you are Mashu. That won't do, you know, wandering around without permission…." A voice from the other end of the corridor made Ritsuka and the purple-haired girl to turn around and see man approaching to the girl, thus making the teen guy to conclude her name was 'Mashu'.

It was a man and a pretty tall one, tan-skinned middle-aged man with long brown hair and shut eyes. He was wearing some kind of eccentric attire that consisted in a green-colored business suit along with a dark tie (which has punk-styled spikes), a green top hat and brown shoes

[Wow… Magi sure has a colorful fashion sense, don't they~?]Neon mussed with a chuckle inside Ritsuka's head.

"Oh, someone's already with you? You're…I see…the newcomer who just assigned here. I'm Lev Lainur, I'm one of the technicians employed here. And your name is?" The man, introduced as Lev, said with a polite tone and giving off a gentle smile.

"I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka" The black-haired teen askwered with his easy-going smile.

"Hm, Fujimaru?... Oh, right! You're the last of the 48 candidates. Welcome to Chaldea, I'm glad you're here." Lev said to the newcomer.

[Three thousands of yen that he says this to everyone he run into out of laziness due not wanting to remember their names]

'Neon…!' The teen scolded the entity with a frown.

The brown-haired man either didn't seem to notice the expression in the teen or simply didn't care, because he decided to speak a bit more. "I heard that you were selected out of many public applicants. How long was your training? 1 year? 6 months? 3 months?" Lev asked with an inquisitive tone, wanting to get the specifics.

[This man is pushing it… I don't like him]

"I didn't receive any training here, sir" Ritsuka confessed with a nervous smile, he was feeling like he's being interrogated.

"Oh, yes, exactly" As if remembering something, Lev realized something when he took a better look of the blue-eyed teen. "I recall that there was one free place where anyone could get. I suppose you're that person. Please forgive me for my rudeness" The bowed slightly in apologize, smirking apologetically.

[Hey, when you phrase it like that it's like WE are incapable of anything and only got here because of a miracle!] Neon shouted in disdain.

'Because that's exactly how we get here' Ritsuka commented dryly, though it doesn't change the fact that the speech still sounded excessively close to the truth and therefore insulting.

"My goodness, Lainur! Talk about being an insensitive asshat!"

In that moment a new person appeared before the group.

This person was a tall and lean-muscled man with spiky ash blonde hair and purple eyes. Unlike Lev, this man was sporting a dark-purplish longcoat with a blue short-sleeved T-shirt, dark pants and brown boots with metal soles.

"Oh, Genji… It's you" Lev mussed with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Cut the crap, man. Don't you see you're making this fella uncomfortable with that nonsensical condescending attitude of yours" The blond man said with a frown before focusing his gaze at Ritsuka, who instinctively took a step back at the towering man's slit-pupils. "Hey, hey, it's okay" In a complete contrast with his initial rude attitude, Genji smirked at the teen with cheerfulness. "Don't let this jerk discourage you just because you're a civilian. I'll have you known even the most amazing persons in the world started out as normal people. Do you really think people like Jeanne D'Arc were outstanding and skilled persons when they first started their trials? Of course not! They fought with all they got to attain their dreams!" He boasted with an amicable burst of laughs, which made the teen smile a bit.

"She was burned in a stake at the end though…" Mashu commented with a dry look.

"Shush you, Marshmallow!" The blond man snapped comically at the pink-haired girl.

"My name is Mashu, Lord Purple" The girl replied back with a sweat-drop.

"That's what I said, Marshmallow!" Genji said with furrowed eyebrows.

[No, you didn't…]

The man and the two teens replied with deadpan looks.

"Gaak! Why are you teaming against me, Fuji-kun and Marshmallow-chan?! I was trying to cheer the mood!" The muscular man shouted with humorous rage.

At the bond man's childish acts, Lev simply rolled his eyes before glancing at Ritsuka. "Anyway, Fujimaru. Just remember that if there is something you don't understand, feel free to ask Mash or myself at anytime" He said with a fatherly tone and a kind smile.

"Thank you so much, Lainur-san!" Ritsuka nodded with a cheerful look, feeling more relieved with the opportunity to ask some help.

"I will, Professor!" Mash added with a smile.

"How rude to be ignored" Genji muttered with a twitching eyebrow, seeing how Lev stole his spotlight. "By the way, it's unusual to see you with someone" The man looked interestedly at Mashu. "Are you perhaps friends?" Genji asked with curiosity but then he widened his eyes and stared at the two teen with a shocked look, which earned a few raised eyebrows from the others. "W-Wait! Don't tell me! A-Are you… Are you former lovers?!"

…

The two youngsters stared oddly at the blond man as their mind processed his words… Then, after a few seconds of pregnant silence, they reacted.

[E-EEEHHHH?!]

They shouted with reddened faces, glancing at Genji with stunned looks.

"Oh dear…" Lev just facepalmed and let out a tired sight.

"N-NO! Y-YOU GOT IT WRONG, LORD PURPLE!" Mashu cried with a stutter as she moved her hands erratically while her face got redder.

"That's right! We're not that!" Ritsuka followed with an equally red face.

"Oh yeah? I think the word is pretty accurate"

[NO, IT'S NOT!]

"If you say so" Not believing what the teens claimed, Genji simply brushed them off with a nonchalant shrug. "In any case, why were you here to begin with?" He asked, making the boy and girl sigh as they recovered their composure.

"Well, I just met senpai sleeping on the floor in the middle of the corridor… Umm" Mashu suddenly realized that perhaps she should not have said this, but it was already too late.

"That's why?" Lev glanced worriedly at Ritsuka. "Perhaps, then it is worth sending you to the medical room for a check-up?"

"No thanks, I don't feel any pain" The blue-eyed teen dismissed it with a thankful wave of hand.

"Hmm… I see " Lev shrugged before he made a surprised expression, recalling something important. "Oh my, I almost forgot but… The Director's orientation is about to start. Then there's no need for you to hurry over"

"We will have a briefing… from the chief?" The male teen asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yes, it's to greet Master candidates assigned here like you, Nexus. In other words, it's for the boss to welcome the careless newbies. Since the Director is not the type to forgive and let you go, if you are late, then she'll be on her radar on you for the entire year" The man explained to the young, making him widen his eyes slightly.

"In commoners' terms, it's a mandatory interview where she will hand you a small introduction of what you will do and what she wants. Also, don't piss her off if you want what's good for you" Genji elaborated further, folding his arms behind his head.

"Ah, I got…" Ritsuka nodded at the explanations

[I kind of shocked you forgot] [I mean, seriously, while the Director seems to have a stick in her ass, she is very attractive.]

"Professor" Mash suddenly said, gaining the others' attention. "Do you think... I will be allowed to come to the briefing?" She asked with a timid tone, while casting a few (not-so) unnoticed glances at the blue-eyed teen.

"I think if you get up quietly in the corner, then no one will even notice your presence" Lev shrug dismissively.

The professor's answer was quite complacent because now the pink-haired girl was smiling a bit more. "Thank you, Professor" Mashu bowed back to the man, after glancing at Ritsuka. "Then, I think both of us should hurry."

"Yeah…" The blue-eyed guy nodded with a smile.

"If there's nothing else, then let's head to the Command Room. Is there anything else you would like to know?" Lev asked the teen as they walked through the hallway.

"Ah, yes. Why would she call me "Senpai", Mashu?" Ritsuka asked this to the pink-haired girl.

It was a question that was roaming in his mind for a quite a bit since it's unusual for him to be called as her upperclassmen considering she may has way more experience as an employee than him.

"Ah! Well, you…" Mash tried to say something but she couldn't articulate words, which was followed by an awkward silence.

"Don't worry about it. To her, every human your age is her senpai" Lev answered for her, which in turn made Genji frown.

"Hey, don't need to be so insensitive with the girl! That statement could be interpreted in wrong ways" The blond man growled with annoyance.

"Ah, pardon me. I let it slid out of my tongue. I'm sorry" The brown-haired man said apologetically.

"You should be…!" Genji growls turned more animalistic for a moment as he said that, and Ritsuka could've sworn he just sounded like a reptile.

[I hope he's not some sort of Dragon God. I'm not prepared to deal with another one so soon]

'What are you talking about?' Ritsuka raised an eyebrow at that comment.

[Nothing… I'm just babbling]

The teen wanted to argue further but in that moment, Neon cut the connection out of blue which made Ritsuka sigh tiredly. 'I think it's probably something he doesn't want to talk about' He thought with a small frown.

"However, even you should be curious, Genji. Seeing Mash actively calling a person her 'Senpai'… It's indeed unusual"

Lev's voice made the blue-eyed guy to shift his gaze at the two men with an arched eyebrow continued without a hint of fear.

"If she wants to call him 'Darth Maul' then that's not your problem, Lev" Genji countered with a grunt.

Ignoring the blond man's scolds, Lev decided to press the subject. "I'm curious though, why do you call him Senpai?" He asked the pink-haired girl as he looked at her with curiosity.

"Why? He happens to be the most human-like person I've ever met" Mashu answered with an 'as-matter-of-fact' tone.

"Hmm. Which means?" Lev asked back, wanting her to elaborate more.

"I don't feel threatened at all. So there's no reason for me to be hostile" The girl answered with a smile, making Ritsuka blush a bit not knowing how to respond. "Although the Director will probably hate him" She added without missing a heartbeat.

"I don't know if I should felt insulted or not with that last statement" The black-haired teen commented with a deadpan look.

"Yeah, that's Marshmallow-chan for you!" Genji snickered a bit.

"If you would like, why don't we hide in the restroom to boycott the orientation, then?" Mashu offered the teen with a kind smile but her suggestion was quickly dismissed by Lev.

"That won't do, Mash. That will only make the Director more upset. Let's just leave it to fate" The green suit shook his head in disapproval to Mash.

"Shall we enter the lions' den then?! But hey, once you get to know her, she can be a pretty sweet person! And it's a complete cutie, don't you agree?!" Genji said to the recruit while elbowing him as he moved his eyebrows suggestively.

"A-Ah… That's a bit!"

POW!

"Geez! It's only a joke!" Genji shouted with a cheerful grin as he slammed his open hand on the teen's back, making him yell in pain and fall on the floor.

"Purple-sama, I think you hurt Senpai" Mash scolded the blond man with a pout.

"He looks fine to me"

"You slapped his back and now he got his head smashed against the floor due the recoil force, Genji" Lev stated dryly.

"He will be fine~!"

As the two more veteran staff member scolded the blond man for his actions, Ritsuka groaned in the floor as he tried to get up even when feeling such a horrible pain running through his spine.

'Why me?'

{Minutes Later}

They walked their way down the hall to the Command Room. Upon entering the Command Room there are rows of seats where all the 48 candidates were sitting.

The overall of the Command Room are mostly blue for the walls to be unaligned making some of the features to be cubical. In the middle is displayed on a giant gyroscope to which it seems to be floating with a globe on its axis and digital panels circling outside of the mounting frame.

"Man, I can feel the gap…" Ritsuka whispered with a nervous smile as he stared directly at the applicants.

Unlike him, those persons were skilled and very relieve people whose talents and abilities allowed them to enter in such an impressive organization like Chaldea. Most of them were from some types of aristocratic families and they surely honed their talents to the greatest possible degree. Even the less experienced candidates, the 'commoners', were above him in terms of skill and ability.

He felt like a black sheep, being the only guy who has a remotely normal background prior his acceptance.

However, his doubts died shortly after he felt Genji's hand over his shoulder as he gave him a fatherly smile.

"Hey, lil' guy! Don't feel discouraged and remember that even we commoners can attain great things with our sheer effort alone!" He boasted with a laugh as he thumbed up at Ritsuka. "Most people at this age forget it but the first step for achieving greatness is nothing but believing in yourself! Don't forget it!" He shouted before taking his leave and go to the Director's side.

"Genji-san seems nice…" The blue-eyed teen couldn't help but feel better after hearing the tall man's speech.

"Yeah, Purple-sama is a good man. It's just how he is" Mashu nodded with a warm smile. "In any case, Senpai. This is the Central Command Room. Your number is….Single digit, you're in the front row…..Take an empty seat in the front row" She instructed him by gesturing at his seat.

Ritsuka nodded in understanding and was about to take a seat, but in at moment he felt a migraine attacking his head and let out a groan of pain.

"Senpai? Are you alright? You look like you're troubled" Mash rushed at his side with a look of concern.

"Nght! It's fine, just a small headache" Ritsuka reassured her.

"It must be a side-effect from the Rayshift's simulator, after all. I wish I could take you to the infirmary…."

"Like I said, I'm fine. There's no need for you to worry about it." The black-haired teen said to the pink-haired girl, casting his best smile to coerce her.

"I see…" The pinkette wasn't convinced by she didn't want to force him to do anything so she simply nodded and let him be.

The Director happens to be a woman with amber-colored eyes with white hair wearing an attire of a white dress over a black and orange coat with brass design adorned with an amber pendant with red blouse. She was making a stern expression on her face as she gets into her introduction. It's more like the face of being pissed off when someone was fooling around and couldn't even bear to look at him.

She introduced herself as Olga Marie Animusphere.

'Animusphere? What kind of family would name is that?' He thought with a raised eyebrow but shook his head to clear his mind and focus on the orientation.

However, just as the Director begins to lecture, he instantly snores and the next thing he knew was—

Blackness.

"I can't believe I fell asleep in the middle of the Director' speech!"

Walking through the hallway with an anxious look, Ritsuka was cursing himself while his pinkette friend tried to console him.

"Don't worry, Senpai. I'm sure the Director will understand if I explain her about your situation with the simulator" Mashu assured him with a kind smile.

"Somehow, I think you will make it worse if you do so" Ritsuka replied back with a deadpan look.

Mash's respond was merely laughing awkwardly as she scratched her cheek with embarrassment. "Well, you're not wrong… The Director can be a unforgivable woman" She muttered.

"Considering she just kicked me out while I was still asleep, I think that's an understatement" He countered wryly.

"Yes you're right, Senpai" Mash nodded with a light giggle as they reached their destination. "We've reached our destiny. This is your room, Senpai" She said walking at the front of the door which happens to be the room where Ritsuka will be staying at.

"Thanks for the help, Mash!" Ritsuka thanked her with a toothy grin.

"It's nothing, Senpai" The pinkette replied with a smile. "Well then, I'm off. If we're lucky, I think we'll meet again" She waved her farewells as begins running off and returns to her work.

"Huh… She is so nice" The teen mussed with a smile before proceeding to enter his room and get some rest from the bothersome day he just had. He expects it to be an empty room to dwell in but, instead, he founds someone else sitting on his bed.

This person happens to be a male with orange hair in a ponytail and green eyes. He could be one of the staff members for Chaldea considering that he's wearing a lab coat or maybe he's more of a researcher since he has an ID card necklace and wears white gloves.

"Hah~! There is nothing more relaxing that having a nice—! Wait, who…?" The man widened his eyes when he saw the teen standing at the door

…

The two stare at each other in silence for a moment thinking who's this man eating cake and what is he here for until the orange-haired man yelled in surprise. "Who are you?! This is an empty room! This is where I slack off! Who gave you permission to come in?!" The newcomer shouted, stunned to see someone he is unfamiliar with.

"Umm… I'm Fujimaru Ritsuka. And this room was assigned to me" The black-haired teen said with a sweat-drop.

Pointing his fork at them the man gain a look of defiance. "This is my spot to get it away from it all." Looking at the fork he had, and blush at his actions he made a small pout. "It's very private."

"Wait! Your room!?" The man said with a surprised look. "Aw man, the last overseer is here… dammit!"

Ritsuka sighed, as he didn't want to cause problems. "Sorry mister…?"

"Oh it's Romani Archaman, the head of the medical division. However, most people call me Dr. Roman" The man chuckled as he introduced himself with an awkward smile.

That made the teen widen his eyes in surprise. "Wait, oh man! I didn't mean to disturb you sir!" The guy begged while bowing in apologizes.

"It's no big deal, the director usually hate when I have my breaks. Watching anime makes her get angry at my laidback lifestyle" The man said as he brushed the subject off nonchalantly. "So aren't you supposed to be in the briefing?"

"I got kicked out… After I fell asleep the instant she started her speech" Ritsuka confessed with a sour look.

"Pffft! Now that's funny! Hahaha!" The man laughed at the guy's misery before he got up and went to the coffee machine to pour two cups for the new member. "Well welcome to the club, we got nothing to do but just hang out!"

Ritsuka, knowing this was the perfect change to have an actual conversation with a seemingly normal person for once, accepted the man's cup and started to chat with him.

"So that's the layout of the base, being six thousand meters above sea-level and in the mountains." The doctor finished his small lecture of the base as Ritsuka listened intently while drinking more coffee.

"I see" The black-haired teen nodded, looking out the window. "It's a long way down, that's for sure… I have one question though, I understand that the base was made rather quickly, but it seems it was made in advance. The Director couldn't possibly make this before getting the ok from the United Nations. So… how was this made?" Ritsuka asked with a thoughtful look, making the doctor smile at his intelligent question.

Placing his cup to the side the doctor looked with a heavy look, "That was the late First Director, Olga's father. He died shortly after the base was done, which was a few years ago. This was all his doing..."

"Her father?" The blue-eyed teen repeat as he widened his eyes at the mention of Olga's father.

"Yeah, Olga became the head of her family and—" Roman stopped as his bracelet ranged. "Hold on…" Quickly telling the teen, the man tapped the device to see Lev's photo. "Yes?"

[Hey, Slacker! Are you having a good time watching Magical Girls' shows?!] The voice that came from the device was none other than Genji's, much to the young man surprise.

"As matter of fact I was about to end the first seaso—WAIT A MINUTE HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?!" Roman asked with humorous rage at the blong man.

[Buddy… That was a joke…]

"O-Oh! E-Erm… Well…" Now the orange-haired man didn't know what to do but keep quite but a blush, even Ritsuka was a bit stunned at hearing that confession.

[… Anyway~! I was calling you because we're about to do a mission now] The blond man informed his staff peer, which made the doctor worried at that new info.

"Okay, so is it A team or B team?" Romani asked with a more serious look

[Team A is ready. B appears to be having modulations issues, since some of them are still getting used to this] Genji explained as he let out a tired sigh. [Look, just come here already, will you? I rather have Olga yelling at you than me considering how much of a spoiled brat she is]

"Aww… dude! Hurtful!" The orange-haired man complained with a childish whine. "Alright, I'm near the med area. So I'll be there around 2 minutes" Roman said as he cut off the connection.

"Haha~… It seems like you two are good friends" Ritsuka remarked at the two men interactions.

"Genji can be a pain in the ass but he's a good friend… If only Lev could be as amicable as that moron" The orange-haired man nodded with a smile but he gained a bitter look when he mentioned the other man.

"He is that callous?"

"No no. He is very polite but… Sometimes he can be quite insensitive with some of his remarks" Roman responded with a tired sigh. "He is a good member for the organization as a whole though. He happens to be the mage that created the Near-Future Lens, Shiva to which I mentioned. And there's also the summoning/unsummoning system that was built by the previous director used for Rayshift. To prove that theory, we used the Psuedo-Spiritron Calculation Engine provided by the Atlas Academy. Various talents have been gathered here to carry out this mission" Dr. Roman said to the young man.

"… Umm… What's this Atlas Academy?" Ritsuka asked the man, being a bit curious about that institute.

"Hmm?" Roman blinked a few times in surprise for receiving such a question but then he developed a more thoughtful expression. "Ah, I bet you're not versed with some terms about the moonlit world despite working here… Well, Atlas Academy happens to be an institute that mainly strives on alchemy and mostly focus through technological methods"

"Oh, that's cool I suppose" Ritsuka hummed with a faint smirk. From that explanation, Atlas seemed to be a good place academically speaking.

"Yeah, while it isn't as famous as the Clock Tower, that place is good on its own way" The doctor nodded with a shrug. "In any case, I think I should keep going… Though it's pointless for a normal doctor like me to be there, but if I'm summoned, I must go" He added with a dry tone.

"You're the head doctor. Aren't you in charge of most medical works and doctors?" Ritsuka pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it's just that my skills aren't advanced to be a capable doctor. I'm more of a psychiatrist and manage stuff." Roman answered without batting an eyelash. "But in any case, thanks for chatting with me, Nexus! If you're settled, come by the infirmary next time. I'll treat you some cake." The doctor told him with a more cheerful tone.

"Huh… That sounds good actually"

"Anyway, I think—!" The doctor's thought was suddenly interrupted by a darkened room. The world suddenly changed so radically that he could not continue to speak "What the heck?"

Almost immediately the dark room was lit up with the red light of the emergency lamps, and at the same instant a voice rang out over the loudspeakers placed in all the rooms.

[Emergency. Emergency. Fire in the central power station. Fire in the central control room. All personnel must be evacuated from the second gate. Gate closure will occur within ninety seconds. I repeat, an emergency...]

BOOOOOOM!

Then, an explosion shook the entire room and the two men almost fell on the ground.

"W-What the hell!" Ritsuka shouted in shock.

"Jesus Christ!" Roman almost swore at this sudden development. "Bring the central office to the monitor!"

The monitor that hung so calmly on the wall of the room instantly blinked at the command after which it quickly charged up with a manifesting picture.

The picture that appeared on the screen did not inspire optimism at all. Upturned tables, scorched walls, cracks on the walls all the way to the ceiling, crushed equipment. It seemed as if a bomb had exploded in the room.

"Mother of God!" Roman once again cursed then turned his eyes to Ritsuka. "You! Find shelter and hide! The gates are about to close, you need to leave!"

Such words, however, did not convince the teen. Despite the fact that the sense of reason would dictate him to run away from all danger and look for a stronghold until the storm pass, a small part of him refused to hear that.

Helping the weak in danger is right.

Those words were stamped deep on his psyche. He wasn't the type of person that would try to save anything in danger, sure, but his moral code pushed him to help those who could be helped. That was what he felt. Therefore, when Roman almost flew off and rushed into the control room, Ritsuka followed him at the same second.

"Where are you going?! Gates are on that side!" Noticing his companion not slowing down Romani threw the words to the teen over his shoulder "Run!" However Risuka only ignored the words of the scientist so Roman was forced to mentally spit. "Stubborn aren't you! Fine, you can follow me, we're going to see if there are any survivors!" He roared, as they dash over a bridge. "Goddammit, when we just got things finally right?" The man growl as he saw the main doors to the control room.

Entering it… the two gasped at the result…

"Oh my god…" The black-haired teen paled as stone debris and flames filled his eyesight.

Everything was ruined and almost unrecognizable from their original form. Flames spread in every corner he saw, and the destruction was all left behind.

Just how many persons died in this explosion?

"Wait… What about?!"

In that moment realization came to hit him hard when he remember a certain pink-haired girl, who told him where she was gonna go. The teen didn't show any fear and rushed forward, ignoring the doctor calls when he saw him running through the debris.

"MASH?!" He screamed out hoping for the girl to respond.

"Over here!"

A male voice resounded in the place and Ritsuka scanned the area with his eyesight until he found the source of the sound. And finally, he saw none other than Genji standing beside a huge boulder.

"Genji-san—! What happen!?" Ritsuka shouted as he ran to the man's position and he took a sigh of relief when he saw him without any injuries.

"I don't know. Everything was fine one moment and the next, boom…" Genji groaned with annoyance.

"Wait, where is Mashu?! Where there any more survivors?"

"Well, I saved Olga from an explosion earlier, but besides that I haven't found anyone else and quite frankly I couldn't care less for the others as long as Mashu is right so I'm gonna find her. You are free to come if you want" The blond man said as he and the teen rushed forward to look for the girl.

They rushed for a few minutes looking through and under the debris and destroyed machines, and they had no luck in finding Mash… But then a quiet sound from the destroyed console caught their attention.

"I think I heard something!" Ritsuka shouted at the blond man.

"Yeah, me too" Instantly, Genji jumped towards the sound and, raising the wreckage above his head, was able to detect the source of the noise. "Mashu!"

Mashu looked pitiable. It seems that the console crashed into her with the force of the shock wave, and then pressed her into the wall, literally breaking the girl in half. Blood flooded through the tears in her clothes, which hid the mutilated body of the girl, bent by an explosion.

"Mashu…!" The blond man whispered with an horrified look, completely stunned by the sight.

On the other hand, Ritsuka's body acted on its own as he sprinted toward her and tried to remove the debris from her despite her pleads to let her and escape from the place.

"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! GODDAMMIT!" The teen shouted as he tried his best but all he did was useless. The debris was too heavy for him.

"I-It's alright… Senpai…" The pinkette said with a warm smile in an attempt to console him.

"Don't talk! I'll get you out of here!" Ritsuka snapped back while still trying to save her.

"Hey… Fujimaru, step aside"

(My Hero Academia OST – Just Another Hero)

"Huh?" The male teen turned his gaze to the blond man, who was standing before him with shadowed eyes as he glanced at the pinned down girl with a blank look. "W-What are you…?!"

"Shut up and stay out of my way!" Genji growled with primal fury as he shifted his gaze at the young man, making him flinch when he looked at his reptile-like eyes.

"H-Hai…" Ritsuka nodded with a hint of fear, being the first time seeing the normally humorous and goofy man acting like this.

The blonde now moved his right leg back, taking a deep breath. Moving his hand back, lowering his body slightly.

"I'll be damned if I let you die here, Mashu!" The blond man shouted in rage.

"Purple…sama"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! I'LL NOT LET YOU DIE HERE!" He snapped at the girl, who flinched slightly at this. The man took a deep breath and sighed before his gaze softened. "I made you the promise to show you what the world has to offer, don't you remember?" He whispered with a faint grin, making the girl widened her eyes.

"G-Genji-san…" Ritsuka whispered in surprise at such revelation, not know what to say.

"Heh, it's a long story. I'll tell the tale later after leaving this sorry place so please shut up and enjoy the show" The blond man snickered with a dry look before hardening his gaze and jumped forward to the debris, slamming his fist deep on the rock and metal.

Then, something amazing happened

"ORAH!"

THOOOOM!

Using sheer strength alone, the man's fist caused the boulder to fly away and hit the wall!

(My Hero Academia OST – Just Another Hero [End])

"Holy shit!" Ritsuka said helping Mashu, shuddering at the horrible sight or her wrecked body being deformed and splattered with what she assumed was Mashu's own blood.

"I'm not over yet!" The man replied with a serious tone as he knee beside the girl and extended his arm. "[Life Vines]!" He shouted as a large numbers or purple-colored tentacle-like vines emerged from his hand.

"W-Wow!" RItuska cried in shock.

"Don't be so surprised boy. You haven't seen anything!" Genji assured him with a toothy grin as his vines sudden stabbed all the wounded places in Mashu's body. Then, a purple light was emitted through the vines as they somehow began to heal the injuries in the pinkette slowly.

The effects of the vines were slow but effective, the organs and the torn skin began to be rebuilt while the vines began to inject a kind of substance into the girl's body.

"H-How did you do that you do that?"

"Magic, boy! Magic!" The man replied as he healed the girl. "Just wait a little more Mashu. A few minutes more and you'll be as good as new" He said to the girl while patting her head with a fatherly smile.

"T-Thank you… Purple-sama" She mumbled with a weak smile.

[Warning. All observation staff. Chaldeas' state has changed. Rewriting Shiva's near-future prediction data. Unable to detect existence of mankind 100 years in the near-future on Earth. Unable to confirm human survivors. Unable to guarantee mankind's future.]

"Wait what? Now this thing is…!" Genji clicked his tongue in irritation. "I half-expected that the Rayshift would be starting, but I didn't expect it to start so soon" He grunted.

"Chaldeas…has turned bright red" Mash uttered in confusion noticing the gyroscope's strange appearance. "No, never mind, that—" before she could finish, the gate to the exit has been sealed shut leaving them contained inside the Command Room with fire burning everywhere.

"Now what's happening?" Ritsuka asked to the blond man.

"Damn it, guess the containment wall has been sealed now" Genji cursed now that the time is up and doors are sealed preventing them on leaving the room.

[Central Area, sealed. 180 seconds till internal containment procedure.]

"…They shut off the area…We can't get out now…"

[Coffin Vitals: Masters. Baseline not reached. Rayshift requirement not met.]

"We have no time left so I'll try to speed up the healing so I can safety carry you, Mashu!" The blond man shouted as he accelerated the healing process, making the vines to inject more substance to enhance Mashu's vitality.

"I don't think we have time for even doing that!" Ritsuka shouted.

"It will be more than enough for me to—!"

[Searching for qualifying Master…found.]

Wait a minute… What?!"

Whatever Genji was going to say died when he heard the machine as he turned his gaze back and forth to find that person that could qualify as a Master.

[Candidate No. 48, Nexus reset as Master. Unsummon Program, start. Spiritron Conversion, start.]

"Um…Senpai…" Mash said getting Ritsuka's attention as he noticed that she's starting to glow faintly in a wisp light. "Would you mind…holding my hand?" she offered holding up her hand for him.

"Y-Yeah" He accepted her request taking her hand and holding it firmly prepared for what's to come.

"Will you… stay by my side, Senpai?" The pinkette asked him with a faint smirk, feeling a bit dizzy for some reason despite being healed by the blond man.

"Yes, I will!" The teen nodded with determination as he held her hand close to his chest.

FLASH!

"Hm?" Genji observed the scene in silence and couldn't help but grin warmly at the two teens. However, his attention shifted at the male teen hand, and his eyes got wide. "Hold on… You got to be kidding me!"

[Rayshift starting in 3!]

"BRACE YOURSELF! THIS IS GONNA BE ONE HECK OF A TRAVEL!" Genji shouted as more vines emerged from his arms and created a small dome to protect them from the falling debris.

[… 2…!]

"Don't worry Mashu, I'll protect you!" Ritsuka said to the purple-eyed girl.

"Thank you, Senpai" She smiled back at him.

[…1…!]

"Hey, Senpai…" Mashu suddenly said at the boy. "If we escape alive from here… Would you mind if—?"

[All procedures clear. First Order, commence operation.]

VRRRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMMMM!

To Be Continued