Fate/Max Level Returner Chapter 57 57: [MAX] 57: No Way!!!

Ryougi Shiki possessed three distinct personalities: her primary one was Shiki, her secondary was SHIKI, and her original personality was Void Shiki.

In the original storyline, SHIKI would have chosen to die in Shiki's place for her happiness.

But Adam's involvent had changed things. All three of Ryougi Shiki's personalities remained alive and well.

SHIKI hadn't died.

SHIKI herself had a rather boyish personality—straightforward and cheerful.

It was probably because of that boyish nature that those red marks had ended up on Adam's neck.

"Void Shiki, you really ought to keep her in check a bit."

The designation [Shiki] specifically referred to Void Shiki.

Adam rubbed the reddish marks on his neck with a helpless sigh. How was he supposed to go outside with so many visible on his neck?

SHIKI always liked leaving marks on him, things like…

Void Shiki simply smiled, wearing an expression that said she'd heard him but would definitely do it again next ti.

"That girl just misses you too much~"

"You're always so busy, and she only gets to see you a few tis a day. After holding back her longing for so long, seeing your adorable sleeping face must have made it impossible for her to resist."

Hearing Void Shiki put it that way, Adam could only let out another helpless sigh.

Alright, he'd let it slide this ti. It was partly his own fault anyway. Adam secretly made up his mind to spend more ti with Ryougi Shiki from now on.

He touched the red marks on his neck again. He still needed to head out, but with these…

"Hey, Void Shiki, how about you help get rid of these marks on my neck first?"

Void Shiki tilted her head cutely at his words, a thoughtful look on her face.

A few seconds later,

She seed to think of sothing amusing. A mischievous smile spread across her lips, like she'd just pulled off a successful prank.

"No."

"Huh?!"

Adam froze. The aura of the person before him had completely changed.

This felt more like…

"SHIKI?"

Sure enough, once Adam said that, Ryougi SHIKI dropped the pretense.

Her body was incredibly light and nimble. In just two swift steps, she reached the door, making barely any noise—enough that she didn't even wake the sleeping Fujimaru Ritsuka nearby.

Ryougi SHIKI flashed Adam a grin, clearly celebrating her prank's success.

"I think you look perfect just like this, Adam. No need to fix it."

As she spoke, SHIKI licked her lips, as if savoring the mory.

"I swear…"

Adam's voice held a mix of exasperation and fond indulgence.

Finally, Ryougi SHIKI called out an energetic "See you later!" to Adam before darting out the door and vanishing without a trace.

She looked exactly like a kid who'd just pulled off a prank and was making a hasty escape.

Adam tidied himself up and prepared to get out of bed. But when his hand brushed against the mattress beside him, the feel was off.

Was a mattress supposed to be this soft?

"Mmm~"

A sound that sent blood rushing through his veins reached his ears.

Pulling back the covers, Adam found Fujimaru Ritsuka lying there. She was still fast asleep, sprawled out in a complete tangled ss—her sleeping posture left a lot to be desired.

It suddenly hit him: he was in Master Room 48. He was number 48, and Fujimaru Ritsuka was Master 48 as well.

"Looks like I'll need to sort out the housing situation soon."

As for why he wasn't surprised that Fujimaru Ritsuka could enter the room with Void Shiki around—well, Void Shiki had been the first to support Adam's harem. She even gave him the occasional assist.

After all, her worldview was quite different from most people's.

Adam quietly got out of bed and gently tucked Fujimaru Ritsuka in. It wasn't ti to wake her yet; she could use the extra rest.

But as he pulled the blanket over her, he thought he heard her murmuring sothing in her sleep.

"Mmm So amazing Adam~"

Fujimaru Ritsuka seed to be in the middle of a dream. As she murmured, her body gave a sudden twitch.

The reason behind her ssy sleeping posture suddenly made sense.

Adam clearly realized what kind of dream it was. He looked at her with a sowhat odd expression.

"What kind of dream is she having, exactly?"

He didn't dwell on it. Adam got dressed, pulled his collar up high to hide the marks on his neck, and stepped out the door.

——————

One minute earlier, Chaldea corridor.

Mash let out a soft sigh, her mood a bit low. She wasn't sure whether Adam and her Master had managed to escape Singularity F yet.

Olga Marie: ???

Is no one worried about at all?

Mash was currently heading to Fujimaru Ritsuka's bedroom. She planned to wake her senpai for the upcoming strategy etings regarding the next several Singularities.

As Mash reached the door of Master Room 48,

The door swung open at just that mont,

And the person who erged wasn't Fujimaru Ritsuka—it was Adam.

The instant Mash saw him, her face lit up with joy.

"Adam-senpai! You're safe! That's wonde—"

Then she stopped short. Sothing felt wrong.

Wait a second!

Why was Adam-senpai coming out of senpai's room?

Could it be that senpai's room… was Adam-senpai's respawn point or sothing?

Seeing Mash, Adam raised a hand in greeting.

"Yo, Mash."

"As you can see, even with a few complications along the way, I made it to Chaldea successfully."

Hearing that Adam was truly alright, Mash felt a wave of genuine relief and happiness for him.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

But…

Mash glanced at the room he'd just left. It was definitely Master Room 48—Fujimaru Ritsuka's room.

"Speaking of which… why exactly did you co out of senpai's room, Adam-senpai?"

Adam scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.

"Ah, that…"

"It was just a bit of an unexpected coincidence."

When he ntioned 'unexpected,' he subconsciously recalled SHIKI's little prank and tightened his collar a bit more.

Mash had been ready to accept his explanation, but that instinctive movent drew her attention to the red marks on his neck.

These couldn't be… the kind from the stories…

The realization hit her like a truck. Mash's eyes widened in shock, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

In that mont, it felt like the world was collapsing around her.

***

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