Kazuya woke up with what could only be described as the cozy weight of a mythological disaster sleeping on his chest.
Shuten-Douji, naked as a forbidden work of art, rested tranquil and satisfied, wrapped in a blanket that barely concealed the mess of the previous night. Torn clothes were scattered like confetti at a forgotten party.
The faint dawn light filtered through the enormous bedroom windows, illuminating the luxurious interior of the new mansion—expensive furniture, velvet curtains, and a ridiculously oversized bed that now looked more like a battlefield after a romantic conflict. A nearby marble statue, imported from Italy, seemed to be judging him sternly.
Kazuya, however, didn't seem the least bit regretful.
He let out a sigh, carefully sliding out from under the oni. Shuten mumbled sleepily and snuggled deeper into the blanket, a satisfied little smile on her face. If Servants had a satisfaction ranking, she would've shot straight to S+.
With a lazy gesture, Kazuya accessed his inventory, the only power he truly valued since getting tangled up in the supernatural world. A set of new clothes floated out with a golden glow: fitted dark pants, a black t-shirt with a print from an anime only he watched, and a modern blazer that matched his suit. Reformed-otaku-millionaire casual style.
As he dressed, he ran his fingers through his messy hair and glanced around with that typical look of someone thinking, "This is gonna cause trouble later," but he was too hungry to care right now.
Heading downstairs, still yawning and with suspicious purple marks on his neck, he crossed the mansion's main hall. It was all very fancy. Ishtar had chosen the chandeliers. Ereshkigal had insisted on the gold details. Kazuya just wanted a functioning fridge and a decent connection to roll gacha. But now he had a three-story mansion and an oni sleeping in his bed. Life sometimes threw unexpected SSRs.
In the kitchen, everything was silent, which was odd. Normally, Ishtar would already be yelling at Ereshkigal about who stole the celestial shampoo. But maybe they were still sleeping… or plotting something after losing their bet with Shuten. He didn't want to think too much about it.
He opened the fridge, grabbed a strawberry yogurt and a slice of apple pie (a questionable combination, but he wasn't in a position to judge anyone) and sat at the central island, eating slowly, trying to regain his energy.
He chewed as if reflecting on major life decisions.
"Mental note," he muttered to himself, "never underestimate an oni at blackjack. Especially when she plays with a smile like she's going to devour you with or without good cards."
He took another sip of juice and looked out the window. The sun still hadn't fully risen.
Kazuya didn't know exactly how the day would go, but he had important things to do now.
With his stomach more or less full—more or less because yogurt with apple pie wasn't exactly a champion's breakfast—Kazuya leaned his elbow on the counter and snapped his fingers in the air, like a chef calling his invisible sous-chef.
"Time for a morning gift." He grinned, his eyes sparkling like a kid who just found a new pack of trading cards.
In front of him, mana particles danced in the air and coalesced into a blue-purple magical circle with runes that only Fate fans would understand (or pretend to). It was the [Fate Gacha], his special ability and probably the only reason he could still smile on bad days.
"Come on, Pajama Gil… Apron Artoria… even a decent CE with Scáthach would do…" He rubbed his hands, full of hope. "Today's the day. I can feel it."
*Plim.*
The holographic notification appeared with a golden glow.
Kazuya held his breath.
[You received: Kirei Kotomine's Spicy Food (10×)]
[Description: A culinary experience that combines soul-crushing suffering with spontaneous combustion of the palate. Prepared by Kirei himself in a moment of malevolent enlightenment, this dish is ideal for those who want to cry inside and out. Secret ingredients include: EX-level chili, pure malice, and an inexplicable urge to laugh while the world burns. May cause hallucinations, existential crises, and the suspicion that the universe is laughing at you. Not recommended for human consumption. Or non-human. Or any living being.]
Kazuya blinked.
"…"
Another blink. This time with pain.
"Ten," he said out loud, as if the number itself was a curse word. "TEN packs of Kirei's Spicy Food."
He ran a hand over his face, slowly, like a warrior who just lost an important battle. The hologram still glowed mockingly.
"I could've gotten a Medea Lily. Or even that new CE with Tamamo cooking… that would've been useful. But no." He pointed theatrically. "I got ten portions of the magical equivalent of instant gastritis!"
He threw his head back and let his arms flop.
"This is persecution. I must've cursed some timeline by accident."
He looked up at the mansion's decorated ceiling.
"Universe, we need to talk about your definition of humor."
At that moment, the hologram vanished, leaving only emptiness and an inventory slot now occupied by spicy bombs of evil.
Kazuya huffed, took another sip of juice, and muttered:
"At least it wasn't Cu Lancer's Dog Food…"
"Okay, universe…" He grumbled, clearing his throat. "Let's try again. Just one more time. For old times' sake."
With a dramatic sigh, he mentally clicked 'Yes' on the daily summon.
"Please, anything that doesn't need a biohazard warning," he whispered, eyes fixed on the center of the floating screen.
[You received: Double Summon: Scáthach-Skadi (Caster) and Scáthach (Lancer)]
A summoning circle manifested in front of him.
The first to form was tall and ethereal, her long, dark purple hair cascading like a nocturnal waterfall down to her waist. Her red eyes, piercing as rubies, fixed on Kazuya with a cold intensity, but there was something more there—a depth of sadness and shock. A small silver ornament rested on her forehead, and she wore a flowing dress in shades of purple and white, with fur details on the shoulders and bust. The long, wide sleeves flared at her wrists, adorned with tight gloves that extended up her arms. The lower part of the dress revealed slender legs through strategic slits.
It was Skadi, the Queen of Ice and Snow. Internally, she felt a myriad of emotions in her chest upon seeing the boy who summoned her. Was he the reincarnation of that adorable idiot who became her consort in the confines of her world? The one she initially saw as a mere instrument of fate, someone who, like so many others, would eventually fade away. But his resilience, his ability to smile even in the face of despair, and the way he reached out to her without hesitation began to touch something deep within her. She, who had always believed herself incapable of human emotions, now found herself yearning for a future alongside a mortal.
Over time, Skadi realized that her affection for Kazuya wasn't just fleeting curiosity but a genuine love that defied her divine nature. He had become her warmth in the eternal cold, her bond to lost humanity.
Meanwhile, Kazuya, upon seeing her, instead of thinking of her as a game character altered by mods to end up happy by his side, remembered her as a real person from his… past life?
Was this a consequence of accepting Ritsuka Fujimaru's life as his past life? Well, there he goes getting distracted again. His focus returned to the Goddess manifested as Scáthach, due to Odin's interference in the Lostbelt.
She was the Formidable Queen. The Goddess of Ice and Snow. The one who ruled over a forgotten world with firmness and dignity. Her gaze carried the authority of a goddess, but behind it… there was a weight. A silence that didn't come solely from winter, but from a profound loneliness.
During the time she ruled the Lostbelt and he met her, he had sensed that sadness, restrained but present. Like someone who fulfilled their duty perfectly but, deep down, didn't feel complete. Like someone who carried on, even when everything they knew was gone.
She was loved by the gods. Respected. Desired. But in the end, when Ragnarök fell upon her world, she remained alone. The last Goddess of Scandinavia. The last one still bearing a title, even though the world she belonged to had already vanished.
And yet, there was something surprisingly human about her.
Strong, yes. Proud. But also pure. Not in a childish way, but something more sincere. Something that revealed itself in small gestures, in the moments when she let her guard down. When she smiled, even briefly. When she reached out without ceremony. When she looked into his eyes with truth.
If someone got close enough… they'd start to see. That beneath the goddess, the queen, there was another side.
She wasn't made solely of ice.
She wasn't just a symbol of power.
She was a woman.
And, even more… a girl.
Someone who, even after losing everything, still held something within her: a guarded warmth, a silent hope. He remembered all the moments he spent with her, and it warmed his heart with a tender feeling.
His eyes landed on the figure beside the Goddess, equally imposing, her wild and captivating beauty. Long purple hair flowed down her back, framing a face with sharp features and red eyes that gleamed with martial intensity. Her skin was pale as snow under moonlight, and the tight, dark outfit she wore accentuated every curve of her sculpted body, adorned with metallic shoulder plates and leather details.
It was Scáthach, the Queen of Shadows, the mentor who saw potential in Kazuya during the turbulent Fifth Singularity, offering her guidance and, unexpectedly, her heart.
They shared a night of passion before the final battle of that Singularity, a moment of vulnerability and deep connection. Afterward, she accompanied him in Chaldea, witnessing his growth and sacrifices until the bitter end in the Lostbelts. Seeing him there, alive, was an unexpected blow to her warrior's soul.
On the other hand, Kazuya felt shivers looking at Scáthach, partly recalling the times he trained with her in his past life as Ritsuka. Though he wasn't as strong as her other students, he was well-trained and made her proud by defeating Goetia. The reward was her dressing up as a bunny for him… Well, let's not go into details. Where did it all begin? In the Fifth Singularity.
Now that he realized it, the Servants in his memories summoned in Chaldea were the same ones from the Singularities he had resolved. He never summoned a Karna early on, for example—his life would've been much easier…
As he tried to maintain his composure in front of the two, both goddesses looked at Kazuya, their eyes widening slightly.
That familiar glint in his eyes… but the rest… was different. He was taller, stronger, with more defined facial features, almost sculpted in marble. If it weren't for the information imprinted in their minds at the moment of summoning, the undeniable truth that this was their Master, the one they cherished so much, they would never have recognized him. The transformation was so drastic it made them question reality itself.
For a moment, time seemed to freeze—and not just because of the glacial presence of the Ice Queen. The kitchen air was filled with an ethereal tension, as if the universe had held its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
Kazuya blinked, staring at the two figures before him like someone who just summoned two continent-sized emotional problems.
Scáthach-Skadi was the first to react.
She stood still, her red eyes analyzing Kazuya with both scientific and emotional intensity. It was as if she were trying to reconcile two contradictory realities—the past she had buried under eternal ice and the man before her who now seemed more real than anything.
"You…" Her voice came out low, soft, but laden with the force of a blizzard about to engulf an entire city: "Is it really you?"
Her expression, usually so serene and distant, trembled for a fraction of a second. A crack. An emotion. Skadi wasn't the type to let control slip, but there she was, the Ice Queen, completely thawed by a single familiar glance.
She didn't run to him, of course. Skadi didn't make that kind of scene. Queens didn't run; they let the world come to them. But her fingers trembled slightly, and the magical glow around the summoning circle flickered, betraying the intensity of what she felt. Even if the entire Lostbelt froze at that moment, she would have felt more warmth in that glance than in all possible suns, despite his eye color being even more beautiful than she remembered.
Scáthach, on the other hand, unlike her more divine counterpart, was raw, direct—an immortal with a warrior's soul and the temperament of a teacher who thinks her students are late for training.
"Master…" she said, crossing her arms and staring at Kazuya with that look that said, "If you think you're getting out of this without explanations, you're sorely mistaken."
She approached slowly, each step sounding more like a challenge than a reunion. Her sharp gaze scanned Kazuya's body from head to toe, as if judging every inch of his new version.
"You've grown, huh," she said finally, with a half-smile on her lips, but her eyes… her eyes said so much more. A mix of relief, longing, and complex emotions.
Skadi took a step forward. Just one. But it was enough to make the ground seem to tremble. The air around her shimmered with tiny ice crystals, as if winter itself were holding its breath to not disrupt the moment. The goddess who had ruled an entire world, who had frozen fate to protect what remained of her land, was there… looking at him as if she had rediscovered something she thought was lost forever.
"You came back to me…" she murmured. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. As if, deep in her divine core, she knew this wasn't a trick or a coincidence. It was fate. The same fate she had so often tried to deny.
Kazuya swallowed hard. The last time someone looked at him like that, he ended up making bad promises that led to him running naked across a university campus in his past life. (Spoiler: it wasn't fun.)
"Uh… I'm back…" he replied, scratching the back of his neck, nervous, trying to seem calmer than he actually was. "Though… technically, I never left?"
Scáthach snorted, crossing her arms.
"That won't get you out of extra training," she said, her voice carrying that firm authority that already made his muscles ache just remembering. But there was a smile at the corner of her lips, and her eyes, oh, those eyes, said something entirely different. An almost palpable relief. As if she had been holding her breath for ages and only now was letting it out.
She got close. Very close. Close enough for him to smell Allure (Chanel), wildflowers, and Celtic herbs.
Scáthach reached out and placed her fingers on his chest, just above his heart.
"You're still my student," she said firmly. "And my man. Don't think I'll let you escape again."
Kazuya would've said something witty, maybe a joke to lighten the mood, but then Skadi approached too. She stood beside her warrior counterpart, like a silent storm about to unleash, her gaze still fixed on him.
"I don't want to lose you again," she confessed. The words came out softly, but there was a firmness that made the air around her vibrate. "Not even the gods can stop me from protecting you this time…"
Kazuya fell silent for a moment. Part of him wanted to run. Another part wanted to cry. The third part… well, that one was too busy trying not to faint. So he did what any normal guy, summoner of legendary Servants and reincarnation of a humanity's hero, would do—he smiled.
"It's good to see you both again, Skadi and Shishou…" He pulled two chairs with a casual motion, trying to maintain the "everything's under control" aura he could barely sustain internally, and gestured with his hand as if inviting two friends for afternoon coffee, saying: "Have a seat, let's talk a bit…"
Though he didn't say it out loud, he knew the two women in front of him very well. Scáthach was already accustomed to death, having half-transformed into a Divine Spirit at the end of a long time, becoming an immortal existence. She could no longer die as a person. Not a beautiful death. Not even a gruesome one. She simply had to keep existing, until the moment the World and its exterior finally vanished.
When summoned as a Servant, that desire remained, but in Chaldea, after the events of the Fifth Singularity, her desire shifted to seeing Kazuya reach his full potential and spending time with him… Well, she wasn't the emotional type like Ishtar (though she'd deny it) or Ereshkigal, who had nearly cried upon seeing him, nor like Shuten-Douji, who showed her longing with provocation and a bit of lust. She was the atypical proud teacher of his achievements, but also the wife who kept up appearances, yet was dying to "catch up" with him in a more private setting. Though she wouldn't mind if her counterpart joined in—it had happened before…
As for Skadi, she was simply a Goddess who had experienced the loss of the gods during Ragnarök; she deeply understood the pain of separation. Her tendency to hide emotions and maintain a cold facade caused her to internalize her feelings, avoiding showing weakness in front of others.
So, the two sat close to him. On one side, Scáthach-Skadi, the Queen of Ice and Silence. On the other, Scáthach, the God-Slayer and Private Tutor of Super Soldiers. Both seated, both staring at him. And him in the middle, feeling like he was about to be judged for crimes he didn't even know he'd committed.
"Alright. So… let's take it step by step…" he began, scratching the back of his neck again. It was becoming a nervous tic whenever he was in emotionally mined territory.
He explained everything. The world they were in now, a place where angels, demons, and dragons traded punches as often as you'd go to the bakery. The city was called Kuoh, and though it seemed normal on the outside, inside it was a boiling cauldron of supernatural entities. The previous night, during dinner, he found out that Shuten-Douji had learned everything about the world from Ereshkigal and Ishtar, at least what they knew… One less task for him.
He told them how he "summoned" them using his ability inherited from his former position as Chaldea's Master, which, of course, was a complete creative guess he decided to keep to himself.
The most curious part? Both had been summoned together. Not one after the other. At the same time. A rare event even in Chaldea, where the impossible was basically just another Tuesday.
Their interest piqued at that. Scáthach, of course, furrowed her brow in a calculated manner, while Skadi clasped her hands in her lap, jealousy flickering in her ruby eyes as soon as Kazuya mentioned that Shuten-Douji, Ishtar, and Ereshkigal were also there.
Kazuya cleared his throat, trying to dispel the tension that seemed to turn the air around them into glass about to crack, while internally wondering what was more dangerous: performing a summoning ritual early in the morning or being caught by Ishtar and Ereshkigal after doing so. Yes, he sensed the two waking up; a funny fact was that his senses had been much sharper since he became a Dragon, but he usually focused on other things…
And the answer to his internal question came a few seconds later.
The hallway door creaked softly, and Ishtar appeared, yawning, barefoot, and wearing a black silk pajama that made even the gods of lust avert their gaze out of respect. Or fear. Her hair was messy, but her presence still exuded power and arrogance.
She blinked slowly at the lit room, her golden eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Kazuya…" she murmured, her voice sluggish: "Isn't Shuten enough? You summoned more people, didn't you?"
Before anyone could respond, a second presence appeared behind her.
Ereshkigal.
She wore a cute pajama with a pattern of smiling ghosts, her blonde hair mussed and her eyes still half-closed. She rubbed her face with clenched fists and yawned discreetly, like a child woken up too early.
"Ugh… why's it so noisy…?" she asked, before looking at the center of the room.
Servants didn't necessarily need to sleep, but doing so helped replenish magical energy, and well, the two had had plenty of issues due to the noises from Kazuya and that damned Oni who won the bet with them and had a night with their beloved Master…
That's when she saw.
Scáthach, in her warrior outfit, imposing and deadly as always. And Skadi, elegant and cold as a snowstorm about to engulf an entire army.
Both were there, calmly observing the new visitors in the room.
For a second, the world stopped.
Ishtar's eyes widened.
"You…?!" Her voice shot out like lightning: "Scáthach?! Skadi?! What?! No! No! Why did you come now when I wanted to monopolize the Master for myself…?! I mean, I knew this idiot would find a way to summon more rivals!"
Ereshkigal froze in place, her eyes wide open.
"I-is this… real…?" she murmured, her hands clutching the sleeve of her pajama.
Scáthach raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms with a slightly provocative smile.
"Well, if it isn't the arrogant goddess of love and her shy little sister of death."
"I'm not shy!" Ereshkigal retorted, instantly red.
Skadi, on the other hand, seemed less provocative and more… contemplative. Her eyes landed on Ereshkigal, and a trace of softness appeared for a moment.
"It's good to see you again, Ereshkigal. Even in another world."
Ereshkigal lowered her gaze, a small smile on her lips.
"I'm happy to see you too, Skadi…"
As two lonely goddesses, they had much in common and were somewhat friends…
The moment was almost touching, until Ishtar huffed, crossed the room, and pointed at Kazuya as if he were the real criminal in the story.
"You! Are you building a Celtic harem now? Are you going to tell me Medb's in the basement too?!"
Scáthach laughed softly.
"If Medb's around, let me know. I need to teach her a certain lesson…"
Kazuya raised his hands in surrender, sweating coldly. He was already in enough trouble with two goddesses and two faerie queens looking at him like they had to decide between hugging him or tying him to an interrogation chair.
The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a Zanpakutō.
That's when she appeared.
"Hmm… what a delicious little noise to wake up to, huh, Anata?"
The slurred, melodic, and intoxicated voice echoed from the top of the stairs, drawing all eyes upward.
There was Shuten-Douji.
With a lazy smile on her lips, wearing nothing but a long shirt—clearly Kazuya's—that barely covered what it should, the oni descended the steps with the charm of someone who knew exactly the effect she caused. Her purple hair was messy, and her half-closed eyes gleamed with dangerous, satisfied humor.
"Leaving me alone in bed after such an… intense night…" she said, stretching the words as if savoring each syllable: "That's no way to treat a lady, my beloved Master…"
Kazuya had to look at the ceiling. Or the floor. Anywhere but at her.
"Shuten… for the love of the gods…"
Scáthach narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.
"Hmph. Still collecting dangerous mythological creatures with hedonistic tendencies, I see…"
Ishtar furrowed her brow, staring at the oni with a mix of disdain and… discomfort.
"You got lucky winning yesterday…"
Ereshkigal, meanwhile, turned completely red, covering part of her face with her hands.
"I-I-I didn't want to know that! And I—anyway!" she stammered, more flustered than ever.
Skadi merely looked at Shuten with a neutral expression, but her tone was sharp as fresh ice.
"You seem… overly familiar for someone who arrived later."
Shuten laughed softly, leaning against a doorframe with all the feline grace an oni could muster. Her gaze lazily dragged over each of them.
"Oh, my… all so serious. Don't worry. Kazuya-sama has plenty of love to give. And I, of course, don't mind sharing… as long as everyone knows how to play nicely."
"Play?" Ishtar repeated, incredulous.
"She wants to die…" Scáthach muttered.
Shuten sighed theatrically, bringing a finger to her lips.
"Wow, so aggressive, so intense… it's giving me ideas. Oh, Anata-sama, did you happen to summon a sadistic version of your sensei?"
Kazuya covered his face with his hand. And there he was: once again at the center of a hurricane of divinities, mythological entities, and a partially dressed oni, all vying for his attention.
________________________
Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to speak from the heart.
We're getting really close to reaching the goal on Patreon to finally get my hearing aid. And honestly… it's not just about the money. It's about what it represents. It's a chance for me to experience the world more fully again, to hear the voices of the people I care about, to listen to the sounds I've missed — and it's all thanks to you.
To every single one of you supporting me on Patreon: thank you. Truly. Your support, whether it's through pledging, sharing my work, or sending a kind message, means the world to me. You're helping me change my life, and I'll never forget it.
For those who haven't checked it out yet — my Patreon is open! By supporting there, you'll get early access to chapters, exclusive content, and the chance to be part of shaping the worlds I build in my stories. Every bit of support brings us closer to the goal.
And while we're here…
I want to hear your ideas for which Fate Servants should be summoned next in the story! It can be anyone — from fan favorites like Artoria and Gilgamesh to the underdogs like Charles-Henri Sanson or Kiyohime. Drop your suggestions, and let's make this next summon something unforgettable.
Once again — thank you all so much. You're amazing.