Chapter 46: Kidnapping Lonely Girls (with Career Opportunities)

                       

Chapter 46: Kidnapping Lonely Girls (with Career Opportunities)

Clock Tower Cafeteria, early evening.

“Ano, Matou-kun… are we here to find the geniuses of the Clock Tower? Or are you just here for the food?”

Touko Aozaki looked around with a face full of question marks as she followed Shinji into the surprisingly well-kept student cafeteria.

“Senpai,” Shinji grinned while expertly unwrapping a sandwich, “you know the best time to spot Clock Tower geniuses in their natural habitat? Mealtime, of course.”

Touko narrowed her eyes and scoffed. “And what if some of them are eating gourmet food in their private labs?”

“Anyone with the time and money to make their own private meals probably isn’t someone I could convince to come work for me anyway.”

That shut her up. She folded her arms and followed him to a quiet corner.

While munching on a sandwich, Shinji casually let his eyes wander across the room.

As expected, quite a few familiar faces were scattered throughout the tables—chatting in small groups or eating alone.

One of them was Marisbury Animusphere, the Lord of the Astromancy Department. He was speaking with several students at once, his posture calm, his words calculated.

Of course, Shinji didn’t care about the man’s position as a Lord of the Clock Tower.

What interested him was his other identity: the original director of Chaldea.

Yes, that Chaldea.

The very institution that seemed to attract death flags the way a light bulb attracted bugs.

Thanks to Marisbury, the role of “Director of Chaldea” was now roughly as cursed as being President of South Korea.

Still…

This world never had a Holy Grail War.

If that’s the case… maybe he won’t even build Chaldea here?

As far as Shinji could tell, Marisbury had never expressed any interest in the “Summon Heroic Spirits” part of his entertainment empire. So maybe he was safe… for now.

Besides the original director, Shinji also spotted another familiar figure: Goredolf Musik, the famously pompous but secretly decent man from Fate/Grand Order, currently devouring a large plate of wagyu steak like it had insulted his ancestors.

Sitting beside him, her eyes full of disdain, was none other than Olga Marie Animusphere.

Shinji blinked.

‘…Wait a sec. Aren’t these the three generations of Chaldea directors, all in one cafeteria?’

He laughed quietly to himself. ‘If I could just summon the Fujimaru couple in here too, I’d have a full set.’

“What’s so funny? Are you counting how many women are in the Clock Tower or something?”

Touko raised an eyebrow as she returned to the table with a small dessert tray.

“Senpai, please don’t reduce me to a man ruled by his loins,” Shinji said, dramatically clutching his head. “In fact, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to recruit some men. Just to prove I’m not biased.”

“Oh wow. You really are shameless. Not even the boys are safe?”

She gave him a sly smirk as she sat down again.

“Why do I even argue with women?” Shinji muttered to himself.

Then Touko suddenly stood up again. “Excuse me. I just spotted my old teacher.”

Shinji immediately waved. “Send my regards to the head of the Atroholm family!”

Touko’s teacher was Inorai Valualeta Atroholm, the Lord of the Department of Creation—and one of the so-called “Big Three” of the Clock Tower. Even Shinji, who was famously irreverent, knew better than to mess with that particular heavyweight.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he added, “if Creation has any promising students, feel free to lure them over! I offer high salaries, free meals, full lodging, and even magical Q&A sessions with ancient Heroic Spirits!”

“You’re trying to poach from my teacher’s faction? You do want to die, don’t you?”

Touko rolled her eyes, but she raised a hand behind her back—giving him a casual thumbs-up.

It was her way of saying “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Much appreciated, senpai.”

Smiling, Shinji stretched a little and cracked his neck.

“Now then… Time to do some actual scouting.”

He’d already picked out a few promising candidates while scanning the room earlier.

Top of the list?

Goredolf Musik.

Despite his pompous appearance and loud personality, the guy came from a prestigious family of alchemists and had real skills.

More importantly, based on what Shinji remembered from the old Fate/Grand Order timeline… this guy was loyal. Dependable. A man who, for all his bluster, could be trusted.

By the time Shinji remembered his original target, it was already too late.

Whether it was because he and Touko had spent too long bantering or because fate just loved messing with him, Goredolf Musik was no longer in the cafeteria.

Shinji roamed the hallways for a bit, but there was no sign of the pudgy alchemist anywhere.

“Damn it… what department was he from again?”

He paused at a corner, lost in thought, when—

Click

A door beside him suddenly opened.

A young magus carrying a stack of documents stormed out, grumbling to himself.

“So picky! If you’re gonna be like that, then go work alone forever!”

He nearly bumped into Shinji in the process, and instinctively snapped,

“Hey, watch it, you—! …Wait, Matou Shinji?!”

The anger froze on the boy’s face as he recognized who he was about to yell at.
His attitude flipped in an instant, panic replacing fury.

“M-Matou-senpai! What are you doing here? Don’t tell me… you’re here to join our collaborative research?!”

“…Collaborative research?”

Shinji blinked. That was… unexpected.

He glanced up at the nameplate above the door:

Spiritual Evocation Division — Archives.

“…Huh. Guess I wandered into the Necromancy Department.”

Everything clicked.

Of course this guy would assume he was here to cooperate. The legend of Shinji’s Heroic Spirit summoning was already semi-common knowledge within the Clock Tower. To see him in the Department of Spiritual Evocation—well, it wasn’t hard to imagine what conclusions people would jump to.

“Are you here to meet one of the professors?”

The student grabbed Shinji’s hand, eyes shining like a fangirl meeting her favorite idol.

“Ah— no. I was just here to look something up.”

Shinji gently pulled his hand free.

He’d dealt with this type before. Too eager. Too impressionable.

Still, curiosity got the better of him.

“By the way, who were you yelling at just now?”

“Oh, uh…”

The boy cast a nervous glance back into the archive room.

“Our project group’s been trying to deconstruct your Heroic Spirit summoning ritual… but she keeps saying we’re missing fundamental concepts. Keeps redesigning everything from scratch like she already knows the answers…”

He suddenly looked horrified.

“S-Sorry! That was disrespectful, wasn’t it?!”

To the student, the summoning technique Shinji used was probably a deeply guarded family secret—something sacred, inherited and protected across generations.

Trying to reverse-engineer it in front of its original creator?

Yeah. Probably a bad idea.

But Shinji didn’t seem mad. If anything, he looked… amused.

“Wanna deconstruct it, huh? Good luck with that.”

He patted the student on the shoulder and walked into the archive room, waving off any attempts at a tour.

“Don’t mind me. I’ll just look around.”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

The boy gave a somewhat dejected nod, then left the room quietly.

Inside the dim, book-crammed archive, the air was thick with dust and the faint scent of old paper.

Ancient tomes, magical scrolls, and grimoires were piled high like mini-mountains, bathed in flickering yellow lamplight. The atmosphere was heavy, almost oppressive.

But Shinji didn’t linger.

He walked straight toward the back of the room, where his curiosity lay.

He wanted to see that “girl” the student had been complaining about.

At the far end of the room, sitting alone at a worn wooden desk, was a girl with long, unkempt chestnut-brown hair.

Her eye—just one, the other covered by a large black eyepatch—was fixed on the pages in front of her. Her lips moved in a murmur as she scribbled notes with furious speed.

“Cu Chulainn's personality is clearly suppressed by the Fear rune—completely out of character from the legends. Which suggests a spirit origin emphasizing rune craft over spearwork… possibly a divergent Saint Graph profile… So the Grail’s summoning only calls forth fragments of a Heroic Spirit’s identity…”

She spoke like someone possessed, piecing together theory from pure instinct.

Her notes filled page after page with diagrams and symbols. She didn’t even seem to notice Shinji approaching.

But suddenly, she stopped.

Her hand paused in midair. Her lips stilled.

Then she looked up, eye wide and unfocused, as if waking from a dream.

And for a moment, Shinji saw a strange flicker of vulnerability behind that single exposed eye.

“Who’s there?”

Because Shinji was standing on the side of her covered eye, the girl could only vaguely make out the silhouette of a person.

“Is this your research on Heroic Spirits?”

Shinji casually picked up one of the papers on the desk, glancing at the scrawled diagrams and messy notes with clear interest.

The girl froze at the question.

After a long pause, she gave a hesitant nod.

“…Impressive,” Shinji murmured.

Even though the page was disorganized and more brainstorming than formal report, it was clear to him: this girl had insight.

She wasn’t just parroting Clock Tower dogma—she had theories of her own. She’d correctly predicted the existence of alternate Saint Graphs, and had even attempted to link the evolution of myths with structural shifts in spiritual frameworks.

‘No wonder she’s considered one of the future elites of the Department of Spiritual Evocation. Kid’s got potential.’

Shinji’s grin widened as he examined the girl more closely.

The long-haired girl met his gaze, peering up with her uncovered left eye. Even in the dim lighting, her excitement was unmistakable.

“What’s your name?” Shinji asked gently.

The girl opened her mouth, then answered in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

“O— Ophelia. Ophelia Phamrsolone.”

“From the Phamrsolone family in Germany?”

Shinji stroked his chin thoughtfully, though the answer was already obvious.

“—Y-Yes.”

Ophelia nodded, cheeks flushed.

“What made you want to research Heroic Spirit summoning?”

“My family… has always been obsessed with contacting demons. I thought… maybe if even fabricated spirits could be summoned… then demons could, too…”

Her voice got quieter and quieter as she spoke, her gaze dropping as she prepared herself for mockery.

But instead, Shinji just flicked his long hair off his shoulder.

“—Huh?”

“That’s an interesting idea. You’ve got a unique perspective,” Shinji said warmly. “You’re really something special.”

“Th-Thank you…”

Ophelia’s entire face turned red, and she nodded like a broken wind-up toy.

“I’m looking for a secretary,” Shinji said, almost offhandedly. “Interested?”

“…Eh?”

Ophelia’s one visible eye shot wide open. She hadn’t expected that.

“If you want to refine your theories, there’s no better way than up-close observation, right? And I’ve got a few Servants running around for reference.”

Shinji’s smile turned sly—gentle, coaxing, with just a dash of devilish charm. Like a demon offering a contract in silk gloves.

“So, what do you say, top student of the Department of Spiritual Evocation?”

“…I just enrolled…”

Ophelia whispered shyly, correcting him.

“That’s not a no,” Shinji said, cocking his head. “What’s your answer?”

Ophelia stared at him blankly.

Then, as if gathering every ounce of courage in her soul, she suddenly shouted:

“T-Thank you so much, Herr Shinji!”

“Cool. I’ll take that as a yes.”

Shinji laughed and waved lazily as he made for the door.

“I’ll be at the Clock Tower for a while. Once you’re done packing up, come find me.”

“Of course!”

Ophelia stood frozen for a long while after Shinji left, staring at the door he had disappeared through.

‘So this… is what it feels like to be recognized…’

She touched her warm cheeks, eyes softening with something close to awe.

That uncertainty she'd always felt, for a moment, melted away.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

"Hehe, to think I would get one of the Crypter, how lucky~”

Elsewhere, Shinji was practically skipping down the hallway, humming to himself in a great mood.

But then—

“How lovely. Enjoyed yourself, Shinji? Luring helpless girls, was it fun?”

An icy voice sliced through the air like a knife.

“L-Lissy?!”

Startled, Shinji practically did a vertical jump, looking like a cat caught mid-crime.

Cloris Flora stood just ahead, arms folded and lips curled in a sharp smile.

“I came to the Clock Tower to discuss our collaboration with Waver. He said you were here too, so I dropped by.”

“W-What exactly did you hear…?” Shinji asked, nervous sweat forming.

“From the part where you said, ‘You’re really something special.’”

“…I can explain.”

“No rush,” she said sweetly. “We’ve got plenty of time for that.”

With a deceptively gentle smile, Chloris threw an arm around his shoulders.

Then, without warning, she yanked open a nearby classroom door—

“W-Wait—!”

—and shoved him inside. The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

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