(That sounds lovely. Attendance would definitely hit one hundred percent! In that case, I'll… become the school's official mascot!)
—Is that even a real job title?!
Envisioning such delightful what-if scenarios, Rikka's apology ritual proceeded solemnly—
Elsewhere, another goddess was taking her task every bit as seriously.
"Yes! Conla forgives anyone who reflects on their mistakes! I never hold a grudge over past errors! Here is your stamp!"
"If a god is gonna show me something as crazy as actual repentance, I ain't got much choice but to forgive 'er, do I?"
Conla and Cu Chulainn energetically stamped the card.
"Yes. Now that everything has returned to normal, I mind it not at all. Oh Goddess, thank you for taking the trouble to visit us in person. Please treasure the feelings in your heart."
"—Forgiven!!"
The merciful Nefertari and the Pharaoh—who voiced no objection to his wife's decision—both firmly pressed their stamps down.
"You're reflecting on what you did? Good job!"
"It is a very important thing! The heat of a argument will boil over the tea!"
"Cheer up. Everyone, friends."
The children pressed their stamps down, one after another with gentle thumps.
"Since the ritual has been completed between the parties involved and sincerity shown through apology, it is not my place to say anything further."
Heracles pressed his stamp without a moment's hesitation.
"Man… a Master's influence is truly terrifying. To think I'd see the day gods actually reflect on their actions so earnestly…"
"Seriously. By the way, Heracles. We're practically family, but don't you feel any resistance to stripping down like that?"
"None."
"You don't?! At least pretend you do, man!!"
And then…
"(Pout)"
"Ugh…"
Jeanne, puffing out her cheeks, radiated an unmistakable aura of pure irritation. She was thoroughly miffed.
"I'm so sorry, Jeanne-chan… I won't do it again, I'll always give you a heads-up from now on… So please, I'm begging you! Forgive me~!"
"…Since Rikka has forgiven you and you've accepted your punishment, I won't enforce a double penalty. Besides, we recovered all the rare dango anyway."
It can't be helped, Jeanne thought, sighing as she stamped the card for her.
"Mistakes only have value if you learn from them for the future. As Rikka's Servant, I expect great things from your hard work ahead."
"! Jeanne, thank you~! Ah, Orion, do you want a dango?"
"I don't need a dango that looks that hideous."
"Pgyururu?!"
And so, the ritual of apology continued its march forward.
"Haaah… Gods really do nothing but cause trouble, don't they? That was just the norm back in Greece, but seeing it like this now makes me realize it so painfully…"
"It's not like our names spread across the world for being total trash and good-for-nothings for nothing, y'know. Case in point: I was two-timing nine different—pgyururu!!"
"At this rate, I'm a total failure as a goddess… Atalanta was crying, and I even hurt Rikka, too…"
I'm just the absolute worst… As Artemis slumped in depression, Orion casually slipped in a few words.
"If you've realized you're the worst, then that's a massive step up. It just means you've learned to see things from a whole lot more perspectives. You've finally moved a step forward from 'causing trouble is just what gods do.'"
"Do you really think so…?"
"That's just how it is. Well, how should I put it… You grow by making a stupid amount of mistakes and blunders over and over again. Even humans can do it, so there's no reason the gods who made humans can't."
"Darling…"
"I mean, look at us. A useless human and a useless goddess. Aren't we a match made in heaven? Let's go get our butts kicked by the Master together. A friend on equal footing is worth way more than a golden apple, if you ask me."
Overwhelmed with emotion by Orion's unique brand of encouragement, Artemis immediately wrapped him in a vice-like, crushing embrace.
"Yes! Darling! I'll love you for all eternity~♥!!"
"Eternity is too heavy! Your love is way too heavy, damn it!! SOMEONE HELP ME—!!!!"
Orion's final, suffocating death cry echoed emptily into the night—
With that, the pair's pilgrimage of atonement came to an end… and at long last, the proper event—gazing up at the moon and conversing together—was underway.
"Now then, switching over to Chaldea's emergency power supply… Da Vinci, if you would."
In response to Olga Marie's command, Da Vinci changed the projection screen in Chaldea to display the glowing moon.
"We have procured additional dango separately, so please enjoy them to your heart's content. Staff members and Heroic Spirits alike—please soak in the atmosphere and celebrate the completion of this leg of our journey to restore human history."
Following Olga Marie's order from the command room:
"And with that—I declare the Chaldea Moon-Viewing Event officially open!"
The elegant ceremony, meant to reward them for their long hardships, raised its curtains—
"You've truly grown into a splendid Director…"
Romani murmured, tears welling in his eyes as he looked up at the moon alongside Sheba-nyan. He offered a silent prayer of gratitude, even for the simple fact that he was now able to shed such tears.
"It is such a pity~… If only I had been summoned sooner, I could have compiled everyone's journey into a single book~…"
"I'll teach you all about it from here on out. We're going to be together forever now. We have more time and memories than we could ever finish talking about."
"Yes♥! I look forward to it, Lord Roman♥!"
Leaning shoulder-to-shoulder, Romani and Sheba-nyan shared a toast together.
"…Good for you, Roman. It seems you can finally use your time for yourself."
Watching the scene unfold with a gentle smile, Marie took a sip of her black coffee. Da Vinci, too, let out a deeply moved chuckle.
"Indeed. At long last, finally. A man who proclaimed freedom yet could do nothing freely has finally grasped an ordinary human happiness and begun his walk forward. Even a genius cannot bestow individual happiness upon someone, after all. What a bothersome friend I ended up with."
My, my, Da Vinci thought, dumping spoon after spoon of sugar into Marie's coffee.
"Wait—?! This is way too sweet to drink now?!"
"Which way do you mean? The taste? Or the mood around here?"
"Both, obviously! Goodness… Muniel, do you want this?"
"There is NO WAY I can drink that—!!!!"
The roars of Chaldea's long-suffering staff echoed as usual throughout the halls.
"For now, let's just say she did a good job."
In the cafeteria, Mash and Jeanne—the twin pillars of Rikka's top three main Servants—were sharing a drink together.
"Yes, thank you very much…"
"…? What is it?"
Jeanne gave her a puzzled look as Mash stared at her without touching her dango.
"Ah, I'm sorry… It's just, I felt like something was different."
"?"
"The nature of the trust Senior places in me compared to you, Jeanne… I couldn't help but feel like it's subtly different somehow…"
The thought had been weighing on Mash's mind ever since their earlier battle.
Back then, Jeanne had stood beside Rikka without a moment's hesitation, and Rikka had entrusted her back to Jeanne just as seamlessly.
Between them existed a bond that transcended the standard relationship of Servant and Master… At least, that was how it appeared to Mash.
Jeanne, who could stand by Rikka's side without any pressure or hesitation. And Mash, who protected Rikka.
Their trust seemed identical on the surface, yet fundamentally different deep down… She couldn't shake that lingering sense of dissonance.
"Of course it's different. The bond you have with her and the bond I have with her aren't the same thing at all."
Jeanne casually plucked a dango from her plate.
"Mine is 'pride.' Yours is 'yearning.' They're completely different things. There's no point in trying to compare them."
"Is… that so? It's true that I respect Senior immensely, but…"
"Isn't that fine? There's no single right answer when it comes to bonds or trust, so just support Rikka however you like. That's what I intend to do, anyway."
Dangling her legs casually, Jeanne made her declaration. She pointed her wooden skewer straight at Mash with a grin.
"You need to stop projecting your reason for fighting onto Rikka and start standing on your own two feet, fighting with your own heart. At this rate, you're going to snap one day, you know?"
"Huh…?"
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