Swinging her arm back and forth, Hoshino stared at her reflection in the mirror, lost in thought. After the initial shock, the first thing she considered was surprisingly practical.
"How should I put this... Tan skin looks a bit too sexy. I should probably change out of this short skirt..."
Yes, very practical indeed.
Yugi awkwardly peeked his head in from outside the room, hesitantly asking, "So, Hoshino... any clues yet?"
"I have no idea. Well... I wouldn't say none, but I need to head back to my room first."
Reluctantly setting down her half-finished breakfast, Hoshino hurried back to her room.
Truth be told, saying she had a clue was a complete lie. This kind of bizarre situation was sothing no one could have predicted. The only thing she could do was consult a certain all-knowing individual who hadn't shown up in a while.
Back in her room, her now tan arms felt incredibly out of place. However, she had to admit—they actually paired quite well with her golden Millennium Bracelet.
"Rub the Millennium Bracelet three tis, all-knowing one, please appear~ I'm counting on you, Da Vinci-chan!"
Like rubbing a genie's lamp, Hoshino vigorously massaged the bracelet on her wrist while chanting so strange incantation with her eyes shut.
But contrary to her expectations, the all-knowing Da Vinci didn't respond at all. That's when Hoshino suddenly realized—ever since she returned from the future, Da Vinci hadn't appeared even once, not even when the world was on the brink of destruction.
"Could it be... she feels so guilty about tricking into going to the future that she doesn't dare face ?"
***
anwhile, at Chaldea's cafeteria—
"Emiya, the olet rice isn't enough! Can you hurry it up a little? Move those hands faster!"
At the stove, flipping fried rice in a pan, Emiya's expression twitched subtly. If anyone else had spoken to him like that, he might have imdiately projected an olet rice and smacked it onto their head.
"Just wait a little longer, Master..." Emiya forced a smile. Clearly, he wouldn't do such a thing to Hoshino.
Okita, who for once hadn't overslept and had co early to enjoy Emiya's breakfast, had been stuck in line this entire ti.
The reason?
The mountain of empty plates stacked up in front of Hoshino.
"Master, since when did you start eating like a Saber? Can't you at least share a little with ?"
Hoshino shot a glare at the drooling Okita. "If you're hungry, go steal so food from Hijikata's!"
"QAQ That's so an, Master! I didn't know you were such a cold person!"
Artoria, who always arrived at the cafeteria on ti—or even early—looked at Hoshino with so concern.
"Master, while having an appetite is a sign of good health, overeating like this will put a strain on your body..."
"You, who can eat a restaurant out of business with just one bite, have no right to say that to !"
Hoshino shot back rcilessly, causing Artoria's signature ahoge to droop slightly.
Hearing the commotion, Mash arrived with a puzzled expression. "Senpai, you seem a lot more... sharp-tongued than usual. Also, how did you even get to Chaldea without Da Vinci being around?"
The last two tis Hoshino had co to Chaldea, it was always thanks to Da Vinci. Not only did she have to be asleep or unconscious, but the process itself was extrely complex.
So, it should have been impossible for either Chaldea's staff or Hoshino herself to co here at will.
But this ti, sothing was clearly different. A few days ago, Da Vinci had locked herself in her workshop, researching sothing mysterious, and hadn't been seen since.
"I should go get Mr. Hols!"
Mash, unable to co up with an answer no matter how hard she tried, decided to call in Chaldea's acting second-in-command.
"Okita, give a shoulder massage. I've been eating for too long, and I'm getting tired."
As expected, eating was a physically demanding task.
"Got it~"
.
..
...
"So, Mr. Hols, have you figured anything out?"
Mash asked hesitantly as she stood beside Hols, who had been silently observing Hoshino with a deep frown.
Hols finally spoke after a long pause, stroking his chin.
"…She sure can eat."
Mash frowned. "Mr. Hols, could you please take this seriously?"
"This appetite is completely unlike Miss Hoshino. Based on her profile, it's already a miracle if she manages to eat a single bite. The current situation is simply too illogical."
"Mr. Hols, if you keep joking like that, I'll get mad..."
"I'm not joking, Miss Mash~"
Hols put away his pipe, took a few gentlemanly steps forward, and spoke in a low voice.
"Though the appearance is flawless, based on behavioral details and habitual actions, you are not actually Miss Hoshino, are you?"
"Huh? It's not Senpai? What's going on?!" Mash gasped.
She had only brought Hols here to ask why Hoshino had suddenly appeared in Chaldea. But instead, Hols had launched into an analysis and dropped a bombshell.
Hoshino, now full, leaned back in her seat with a toothpick in her mouth, exuding a cocky aura.
"What are you talking about, Hols? I am . Not just in appearance—on the inside, too, I'm the real Hoshino Chiyuki~"
Still massaging Hoshino's shoulders, Okita tilted her head in confusion. "This really does feel like Master, Mr. Hols. Could it be that being a detective for too long has made you overly paranoid?"
"What your eyes see is not always the truth."
Hols suddenly switched to a playful tone. "With an appetite like this, maybe Hoshino has actually been replaced by Artoria in disguise."
"Um, I'm right here, though..." Artoria quickly clarified.
"If you still doubt , Hols, feel free to ask any question you want. Go ahead, test . Ask sothing only Hoshino Chiyuki would know."
"Alright then. What are Miss Mash's three sizes?"
"How the hell would I know that?!"
"Mr. Hols!"
Mash stomped her foot in frustration, stepping on Hols' shoe. "Can't you ask sothing serious?!"
"It wouldn't make a difference," Hols shrugged. "Miss Hoshino's behavior has already given the answer. Even if I asked the most obscure, specific questions, she would still be able to answer them."
Hoshino casually stretched her legs and leapt up with agility. "So, Hols, does that an you're dropping your suspicion now?"
Hols narrowed his eyes into slits, a subtle smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.
"No. If you agree to my next request, then I'll consider letting go of my doubts."
"Your next request?"
"——How about we settle this with a long-overdue duel?"
Hoshino was slightly taken aback—she hadn't expected Hols to make such a request so suddenly.
"A duel, huh…"
"If you are truly Miss Hoshino, then you hold a firm belief in accepting all duel challenges. Or are you planning to refuse?"
Sensing a hint of hesitation in 'Hoshino,' Hols pressed the issue relentlessly.
"You sound pretty confident, Detective. But this ti, your calculations might be off."
Pulling out her deck from her pocket, Hoshino's gaze sharpened instantly. "Let's just call this a post-al workout. But a simple duel would be too boring—why don't we make a bet?"
Hols' brow furrowed slightly. The fact that Hoshino had agreed so readily was unexpected.
His initial hypothesis was simple—if this 'Hoshino' before him was an imposter, then logically, they wouldn't be able to summon her Heroic Spirit deck. Yet, the mont she produced her deck, that assumption was shattered.
"Sigh… Looks like we've found ourselves in quite the predicant, my dear Master."
With a soft sigh, Hols raised an eyebrow and, as if performing a magic trick, produced a deck of his own. "Very well, Miss Hoshino. What shall we wager?"
"If I lose, I'll tell you everything—no holding back, no dodging the question, no secrets."
Selecting a clean, sturdy table, Hoshino smacked her deck onto it. "But if you lose, your deck is mine."
"I accept. No matter the ans, as a detective, I must go all out to uncover the truth."
Hols placed his deck onto the table as well, snapping his fingers. Instantly, translucent light projections ford, creating a glowing boundary field atop the smooth tabletop.
"This is a special Chaldea-style duel arena, sothing Da Vinci modified on a whim after the last Chaldea Duel Monsters Tournant. The effects it generates should be on par with the Duel Disks from that world."
"A Duel Monsters tournant in Chaldea, huh?"
Hoshino lowered her head in thought. She vaguely recalled Hols ntioning sothing about it during Battle City—a competition held on a whim to commorate Nobunaga's grand debut.
"Well, as long as it can materialize projections, it should be more interesting than a plain card ga."
[Hoshino Chiyuki vs. Sherlock Hols]
"Duel!!"
Just then, Hols seed to rember sothing and called out to Mash behind him. "Oh, right, Mash—seal off the restaurant doors. Other than those already inside, don't let anyone else in."
The current attendees were: Mash, Emiya, Okita, Artoria, Hoshino, and Hols.
Mash looked puzzled. "But, Mr. Hols, it's breakfast ti…"
"Servants don't actually need to eat, and there aren't any human staff around right now, so it won't be a problem."
Since this special Chaldea was linked to Hoshino through her Heroic Spirit summoning, theoretically, only Servants she had summoned in this world should exist here—excluding Da Vinci, the administrator.
"How cautious of you, Hols. Afraid of losing and having people find out?" Hoshino teased as she drew her hand.
"This is rely to maintain order and prevent unnecessary disruptions. Now, allow —the runner-up of Chaldea's Duel Tournant—to put you to the test!"
Without hesitation, Hols drew his first card and imdiately placed a monster in face-down defense position.
"I set a monster in defense position—[Heroic Spirit – Formal Dress Sherlock Hols]!"
A burst of light and shadow surged across the field. Though the projected monster was relatively small, its detailed rendering and lifelike effects were just as Hols had described—on par with the Duel Disks from that other world.
[Heroic Spirit – Formal Dress Sherlock Hols★★ (Level 2)][LIGHT][Spellcaster/Effect][ATK 0/DEF 1900]
Clad in a crisp white dress shirt and holding a violin, this version of Sherlock Hols looked different from the one standing across the table. Yet, despite the slight visual change, Hoshino couldn't shake the odd feeling of watching Hols summon… himself.
"I've always wanted to ask—doesn't using your own card in a duel feel a little embarrassing, Hols?"
Back at Pegasus' castle, their previous training duel hadn't used holographic projections, so it hadn't been an issue. But now that the projections were active, it felt like there were two Holses standing in the sa room.
"I've long since grown accustod to it. Given how many novels, films, and animations have been made about , simply using my own card is nothing. Compared to those fanfiction stories where I marry Watson, this is child's play."
There was even a hint of pride in his tone.
"Now, I activate Formal Dress Sherlock Hols' effect! When this card is summoned, I can add one Spell or Trap card that ntions 'Heroic Spirit – Sherlock Hols' from my Deck to my hand."
As the elegant sound of a violin solo filled the air, the holographic projection of Hols plucked the strings gracefully.
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
[Hols: 4 Hand Cards]
Mash analyzed the situation earnestly. "Even though Mr. Hols' Formal Dress version has no attack power, its 1900 defense is only 100 points lower than mine. Breaking through on the first turn won't be easy for Senpai."
Mash, your stat panel might say 2000 DEF, but we all know it's actually infinite…
"It's my turn! Draw!"
As Hoshino drew her card, a rare, mischievous smirk curled on her lips.
"Thanks for locking the doors, Mash. If anyone else saw what's about to happen, things would've gotten very chaotic."
"Senpai?"
"I activate the Field Spell—[All the Evils of This World]!"
Slapping the card onto the table, Hoshino's voice echoed through the restaurant.
Without warning, the ceiling cracked open, revealing a deep, dark void. A thick, black liquid began oozing down, seeping into the floor and spreading across the entire room…
(*****)
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