I couldn't get that one line out of my head since I found it in the library yesterday. ——The underground passage in question was closed due to deterioration after construction completion. Currently off-limits. Signs of collapse detected in parts of the passage. Signs of collapse. Not collapsed. Signs. Fujimaru Ritsuka smoothed down their black short hair absently while heading toward the meeting spot in the hallway. Flashlight, rope, map. Everything they'd prepared last night was packed in their bag. The mole on their left cheek was in the same place as always. They leaned their 170-centimeter frame against the wall and waited for Gilbert. It was morning. Wednesday. Six days left. Clang. An unfamiliar sound approached from down the hallway. Ritsuka looked up. Gold. Everything was gold. Gilbert Zahal walked forward in full golden armor, his stride confident and assured. At 185 centimeters tall, the shoulder guards of his armor jutted out front and back, left and right. In his right hand were three jeweled lanterns. In his left, an ivory staff. His sharp eyes, framed by long golden hair tied back, looked at Ritsuka and snorted. "[serious]Are preparations complete, Master? I shall take the lead." "[gentle]Um... couldn't you maybe wear something a little lighter?" Gilbert's golden eyes narrowed. "[cold]You dare complain about my attire?" "The underground passages are narrow... and they're on the verge of collapse." "[serious]Before my magnificence, such collapse shall not occur. Do not worry." He headed straight for the door to the underground entrance. Ritsuka adjusted their bag on their shoulders. ——Click. He stopped. The doorway was about 80 centimeters wide. Gilbert's shoulder guards were nearly a meter across. Gilbert was trying to enter sideways through the door. He couldn't fit. His shoulders were caught, and he couldn't move. Click. Click-click-click. Gilbert swayed back and forth. Still caught, still swaying. Ritsuka approached and quietly took hold of the edge of a shoulder guard. "I'm going to pull," they said, slowly adjusting the angle. Just barely fitting through. They pulled Gilbert out into the hallway. Gilbert straightened up with a thud, then cleared his throat once. "[cold]...A trap. The entrance design is simply inferior." "Yeah." Ritsuka suppressed a laugh and went through the door first. ────── The underground passage was dark. The electrical system seemed unstable—the wall lights barely functioned. The single flashlight Ritsuka had brought was their only hope. A circle of light fell at their feet, and everything beyond was pitch black. The air was cool, carrying the smell of concrete and dust. The walls were cracked in places, thin fissures running all the way to the ceiling. Ritsuka walked ahead, illuminating the ground with the flashlight. "[serious]I shall take the lead. Step aside." Gilbert tried to move ahead alongside them, but the passage wasn't wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Ritsuka ended up staying in front. They walked for a few minutes. The passage curved to the right. Beyond the curve was complete darkness. Only Ritsuka's flashlight could be relied upon. Gilbert's three lanterns should have been there somewhere——Ritsuka glanced back. Gilbert was walking almost pressed against Ritsuka's back. Less than ten centimeters of distance. Gilbert's golden armor was nearly touching Ritsuka's back. The lanterns were all dark. He must have put them back in the vault. "[gentle]Um... Gilbert?" "[serious]Rear guard." Gilbert's expression was serious. Completely unmoved. "I am securing the rear so that Master is not caught in a pincer attack." "[gentle]You said you were going to take the lead a minute ago." "[cold]Strategy changes according to circumstances." An immediate response. Ritsuka faced forward and walked, suppressing a laugh. Clang-clang. The sound of armor echoed through the passage. "Shh." "[serious]It is not my fault. The passage width is simply inferior." "Shh." "[cold]..." Clang-clang-clang. Ritsuka said nothing more. They faced forward, illuminating each step with the flashlight, descending the stairs one by one. Feeling Gilbert's presence at their back the whole way. ────── It was the third underground level. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, the view suddenly opened up. Completely different from the narrow passage that had continued before. The ceiling was high. The width was vast. The flashlight's beam couldn't even reach the walls—it was a massive cavity. Several thick pipes ran through the center of the cavity. Cooling pipes for Trismegistus, the spiritual calculation device—Chaldea's central calculation system. White vapor-like substance was leaking from the pipes. It seemed to be vaporized coolant, drifting white near the floor. Ritsuka aimed the flashlight at the wall. Glimmer. "[surprised]...That's..." Part of the wall was glowing. They approached. When they shone the flashlight on it, thin ore veins embedded in the rock sparkled. A bluish silver color. It was slightly warm to the touch. Ritsuka had no specialized knowledge of minerals, but——the photograph they'd seen in the library yesterday matched perfectly. "[excited]Spiritual vein stone...!" Gilbert moved to stand beside them. His golden eyes examined the ore vein. He was silent for a moment. "[serious]...The quality is not poor." "Can we make a reactor core from this?" "[serious]I cannot say without analysis. But there is possibility." Ritsuka pulled a small sample collection bag from their backpack. Using a pocket knife, they carefully scraped off a small piece of the ore vein and collected several fragments in the bag. They held the bag up. Inside, the blue-silver fragments sparkled. (It was here. It was really here.) Ritsuka felt the tension that had been building since yesterday ease just slightly. Their entire body seemed to relax a little. That was when it happened. Boom. A low sound transmitted from deep within the cavity. "[surprised]...Did you hear that?" Boom-boom. Boom-boom-boom-boom. The ground shook. Vibrations came through the soles of their feet. Looking up, fine sand and dust fell from the cracks in the ceiling. The pipes made noise. The cracks in the walls visibly widened. "[scared]Run!" They bolted. In that instant, chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. One, two. From fist-sized to head-sized. Where was the exit? They aimed the flashlight. The stairway entrance was visible about fifty meters ahead. They ran. Boom!! A sound from directly above. It was huge. Ritsuka couldn't stop. A massive rock was falling toward their head. They couldn't avoid it. Their feet stumbled—— Crash!!! A deafening roar. Ritsuka's vision went white for an instant. They weren't falling. Something was above them. A golden shield. Gilbert stood directly behind Ritsuka, holding a golden shield high above their head. Rock was pressing down on the shield's surface. Gilbert's knees slowly bent toward the ground. The armor creaked and groaned. More rocks came. And more. They piled on top of the shield. Boom-boom-boom—— The ground trembled continuously. Dust swirled. Then, silence. Ritsuka couldn't move. Gilbert slowly lowered the shield. It was——crushed. The edges were bent and twisted, the surface deeply dented. What had once been a perfectly smooth golden surface was warped under the weight of the rocks. Gilbert stood up. The knee armor was slightly bent. He looked at the crushed shield. Just for an instant. Only for an instant, something different flickered in those golden eyes. Ritsuka didn't know what to call it, but——sadness seemed like the closest word. But then his usual expression returned. Ritsuka steadied their breathing and looked at Gilbert. "[gentle]...Thank you. I'm sorry—that was an important shield." Gilbert looked away for just a moment. He looked at the crushed shield. Then he looked back at Ritsuka. "[serious]A shield exists for such a purpose." His tone was slightly different from usual. "[serious]I merely used it as intended. There is no regret." His words were defiant. But his voice was quiet. Not the voice of an arrogant show-off. Ritsuka said nothing. They nodded. (This person is really kind, isn't he?) In the dusty cavity, the two of them stood there for a while. Ritsuka felt warmth spreading through the center of their chest. ────── By the time they returned to the surface, the outside air felt cool. They handed the sample to the technical staff and requested analysis. The staff rushed into the lab. Ritsuka and Gilbert sat on a bench in the hallway to wait. Gilbert's armor was covered in dust, and the knee section was slightly bent. The crushed golden shield was apparently back in the vault—he wasn't carrying it now. "[gentle]Are you hurt?" "[cold]I am not so fragile as to sustain injury." "I see." That was all they said. Silence. The bench was a bit cold. The hallway's blue floor lights glowed quietly. When evening came, staff came running. "[serious]The analysis is complete!" Ritsuka stood up. "What's the result?" "[serious]The spiritual vein stone is of sufficient quality. It can be used as reactor core material." Ritsuka and Gilbert exchanged glances simultaneously. "[excited]Yes!" "[serious]Of course. I said the quality was not poor." "[serious]However——" The staff continued. "Processing it into reactor core form will take a minimum of three days." "Three days." "You have four days remaining, correct? It will be cutting it very close." Ritsuka looked at Gilbert. Gilbert looked at Ritsuka. "[excited]We'll do it." Gilbert extended his right fist. Ritsuka touched their left fist to it. A small sound. Clink. It was quiet, but somehow reassuring. "[serious]However, there is a problem..." The staff continued reluctantly. "[serious]Chaldea does not possess equipment capable of high-temperature processing of spiritual vein stone. Furthermore... we do not have any technicians capable of such work." Silence. Ritsuka thought. (We have time. But we don't have the means to process it.) "[gentle]...So what do we do?" The staff was silent. Gilbert was also quiet for a moment. The hallway's blue floor lights glowed quietly. Chaldeas—that blue sphere—was shining somewhere. Four days left. Ritsuka clenched their fist. There was no answer yet. But they had no intention of giving up. That was what they were thinking. Then, something caught their attention from the end of the hallway. When they glanced over——red. Something red was looking at them. But when they turned to look directly, there was no one there anymore.