Miracle Summoner

Before long, dawn finally broke.

When the morning light reached Uruk, daylight drove away the night and illuminated the land. The shouts of Uruk's citizens and the resounding clang of blacksmithing once again rose in a chorus, returning a sense of liveliness to this fortress-city.

This bustling energy would continue throughout the entire day, only quieting down when night returned.

And with that renewed liveliness, inside the Chaldea Embassy, everyone began to wake from their dreams one after another.

The first person to awaken was none other than Mash.

"You're already up, Senpai?"

Mash descended the stairs while speaking, her gaze landing on Rozen, who was seated at the communal table, calmly sipping water. Her tone carried a hint of surprise.

Rozen turned his head toward the staircase, and his eyes immediately lit up.

What he saw was Mash, still standing on the staircase, wearing an entirely different outfit from usual.

It was neither the typical Chaldea uniform nor her tightly-fitted combat armor from her Servant state.

Instead, she wore an ancient-style dress imbued with Sumerian flair, imbuing the pure-hearted girl with an exotic aura from an ancient era—a fresh impression unlike anything before.

If the Mash dressed in Chaldea's uniform resembled an innocent student, and the armored Mash appeared as a steadfast guardian knight, then this Mash now exuded the dignity of a royal court official or a shrine maiden.

Her inherent purity now carried a touch of graceful maturity.

There was no denying—this look was a delightful surprise for Rozen.

"You look beautiful, Mash."

Rozen offered his praise without the slightest hesitation.

"Eh?"

Mash froze for a moment, then her cheeks instantly flushed red, her expression flustered and unsure of how to react.

Clearly, Mash hadn't expected Rozen to be so direct, catching her completely off guard.

Even so, joy bloomed in her heart. While blushing, she subconsciously adjusted her outfit.

"Th-This was a gift from Miss Siduri, a settlement present," Mash said softly as she fixed her hair and stole a glance at Rozen.

"Do you… like it, Senpai?"

Was there even a need to ask?

"I like it—a lot," Rozen nodded enthusiastically and even beckoned her over. "Come here, let me get a better look."

As he said this, Rozen's gaze inevitably grew a little heated.

Being stared at like that made Mash's heartbeat quicken significantly.

Still, Mash didn't resist. With her face flushed, she descended the stairs and approached Rozen.

"Ah!"

The next moment, Mash let out a soft cry.

Because Rozen had pulled her straight into his arms, letting her sit on his lap.

"Se-Senpai..."

Mash squirmed uncomfortably in his arms.

Her bashful reaction only added fuel to Rozen's inner fire, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

(Come to think of it, ever since we formed our contract, we've rarely had a moment of intimacy because of everything that's happened.)

If the timing weren't so bad, he probably wouldn't be able to restrain himself.

After all, it was only just dawn—it wouldn't be right to act so shamelessly now, right?

Of course, taking a little advantage wouldn't hurt.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Rozen asked with faux innocence, though his hand was becoming rather unrestrained.

"Y-Yes…"

Mash replied with a trembling voice, her head lowered.

"Not planning to sleep a bit more?" Rozen smirked mischievously.

"It's just barely dawn. We spent the past two days out in the wilderness—if we go back to the room for some more rest, no one will say a thing. So, how about it? Shall we return to our room now?"

The implication in those words was clear—even Mash understood.

"..."

Mash could only keep her head down, face red and body slightly trembling, unable to respond.

And silence, in this case, was basically a tacit agreement.

Think about it—this junior of his was obedient and well-behaved.

How could she possibly reject Rozen?

Not to mention, deep down, she probably also wished to be closer to him.

Rozen looked at this impossibly adorable kouhai and finally couldn't resist any longer.

He lifted her delicate, soft chin, raised her face, and leaned down toward her slightly parted lips.

Mash, cheeks flushed, stared at Rozen's closing face. She didn't resist—only quietly awaited what was to come.

Unfortunately...

"Ahem!"

A deliberate cough suddenly rang out, breaking the entranced atmosphere between them.

"Ah!"

Mash gasped and immediately leapt up.

"..."

Rozen's expression stiffened as he slowly turned his head in the direction of the voice.

There stood someone.

"Not that I wanted to interrupt, but there are kids around, so can you two be a little considerate?"

The Magus of Flowers, Merlin, stood at the top of the stairs, holding his staff and smiling mischievously.

"...Don't mind me. I'm not interested in what humans do with each other."

Beside him, Anna had also awoken, standing at Merlin's side.

She pulled her hood down to obscure her face, making it hard to see her current expression.

"Me-Merlin-san!? Anna-san!?"

Mash's face turned completely red. She looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"Heh heh…" Rozen gave a dry, forced smile. "And how long have you two been standing there?"

"How long?" Merlin shrugged and grinned. "Of course—from the part where you said 'Let's go back to the room'!"

In other words, all of Rozen's mischievous words and actions toward Mash had been seen in full.

"Wonderful..." Rozen's face twitched.

Then he suddenly shouted, "Go, Fou!"

As soon as the words left his mouth—

"Fou!"

A small white beast suddenly leapt out from the side and pounced at Merlin.

Wham!

With a loud thud, Merlin's face was slammed by the charging Fou.

"Gahhh!"

Merlin let out a miserable cry as he collapsed.

"Fou! Fou! Merlin must die!"

Fou looked like he had been waiting for this day for a long time, raising his claws and furiously scratching at Merlin's face.

"OW! OW OW! That hurts! Stop it, you savage beast! Demon! Owwww! Cath Palug, you damned creature! STOPPPPP!"

Merlin's pained howls echoed throughout the entire embassy.

Only then did Rozen turn to look at Anna, offering an awkward smile.

Anna, however, averted her gaze. It was clear she, too, was feeling embarrassed.

As for Mash, she had long since become so bashful she was covering her face in silence.

Then...

"…What even is this?"

"Looks like it'll be a beautiful day."

"Yes, it does."

In Chaldea, Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Roman one by one sighed with such sentiments.

And thus, this day began in a joyful and heartwarming atmosphere.