"And here we are, Shirou-san. This is your room."

The automatic door slid open, its faint hum echoing down the hallway as Shirou stepped into her new room, her new home.

It was smaller than she had expected. However, she reasoned, it might be due to her previous residence in a traditional Japanese house, where ample space was the norm. By modern standards, though, her room was surprisingly spacious and inviting. Warm lighting bathed the room in a cozy glow, with a comfortable-looking bed tucked neatly against one wall.

"Thank you," Shirou said, turning to face Rituska, who was leaning against the side of the open door with a smile. "I appreciate your help."
"Oh, don't mention it," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "If you need anything else, just let me know."

"I see. Then, thank you again," Shirou responded.

"Good night," Rituska bid her farewell with a polite bow before stepping back and allowing the door to slide shut behind him.

Shirou took a moment to survey her new surroundings before sitting down on the side of her bed.

It was already past midnight. After somehow sneaking out of the cafeteria just a while ago, Ilya and her two friends had shown her the remaining facilities of Chaldea. They ended up meeting with Rituska, who took the role of escorting Shirou to her new room.
Ilya ended up clinging to her, talking about Shirou spending the night with her in her room, but Shirou managed to refuse. There were so many things to think about, and she needed the time alone.

"Oh! This room lacks the decoration needed for a magical girl like you, Shirou-chan,"

Just as Shirou was about to sink into her own thoughts, a sound interrupted her train of thought.

"Ruby... It's not the time for that..."

"Oh, my?"

Shirou wasn't alone. Floating around the room, as if inspecting every corner, was a strange-looking stick with a star-shaped emblem affixed to its peak.
"So, what are our plans? Fighting evil?! Making friends?!! Falling in love?!!!" Ruby chirped, fluttering closer to Shirou with an excited energy.

"Sleep," Shirou replied flatly.

Without further words, Shirou simply turned off the light and lay in bed.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

"SHUUUUT UP!"

Ruby let out an exaggerated gasp, swirling around Shirou in a flurry of indignation. "How dare you silence the voice of justice and magical mischief! This is an outrage!"

"Don't care."
Ruby huffed dramatically but eventually relented, floating over to a nearby shelf where she hovered. "You're horrible, Shirou-chan... You broke my little thin heart."

"You're a stick, you don't have a heart," Shirou deadpanned.

"H-How could you!"

"..." Shirou covered herself with the blanket.

"I'm the magic stick of love and justice, Magical RUBY!! No human or being would have a bigger heart than mine!..."

"..." Shirou groaned and buried her head under the pillow.

"...You have been chosen as the next magical girl, so I'll make sure to make you the best one in all of history!!"

Just as Shirou thought she couldn't take any more of Ruby's antics, there was a sudden knock on the door.

"Ara? Who could that be?" Ruby wondered aloud.
Shirou let out a muffled sigh from under the pillow, hoping that whoever was knocking would just go away. But the knocking persisted, growing louder and more insistent with each passing moment.

With a resigned groan, Shirou threw off the blanket and sat up in bed. "I guess I have no choice but to see who it is," she muttered to herself.

Ruby hovered closer to the door, her star-shaped emblem glowing faintly with curiosity. "Should I check it out, Shirou-chan?"

Shirou shook her head. "No, I'll handle it. You stay here and try not to cause any more trouble."

Ruby pouted but nodded in agreement, floating back to her spot on the shelf as Shirou made her way to the door. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she opened it to reveal...

"FIGHT ME!!"
The words reached Shirou's ears before her eyes could see who was standing at the door.

"Huh?"

There stood a blue-haired, red-eyed man, his primary outfit a deep ultramarine full-body tights covered in grey metallic pauldrons, with a metal plate over his lowest abdominal section. His hair was styled in a rattail that reached his mid-back, and he wore a pair of silver earrings.

Shirou, yet to recognize who that was, simply closed the door slowly, glancing at the clock on the wall—it was 3 in the dawn.

Ruby's eyes widened in concern as she observed Shirou's puzzled expression. "Who was it, Shirou-chan?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Shirou hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "I'm not entirely sure. I was caught off guard, and I forgot to check who that was," she admitted. "But it's 3 in the morning, so whoever it is must have a good reason for being here at this hour."
"Oh my? Maybe a stalker or a pervert?"

Shirou's brows furrowed in concern at Ruby's suggestion. "I hope not," she murmured softly.

With a wary glance at the closed door, Shirou pressed the automatic door open once again.

"That's not how to greet a visitor, young lady," a voice chided from the other side.

Shirou froze, her heart skipping a beat as she recognized the voice. It couldn't be...

Just then, as the door opened fully, Shirou's suspicions were confirmed.

Standing before her was none other than Cú Chulainn, the Lancer-class Servant from the Fifth Holy Grail War, and one of the first who had attempted to take Shirou's life and technically succeeded.
"Hmm?" Lancer noticed the odd reaction on Shirou's face. "That reaction... Could it be that you know me? Oh, wait, you're that little girl, an alternate version, so you must have already met me in your timeline, right? And it seems I left quite an impression," he said with a smug grin on his face.

"So what do you want? I was planning to get some rest at a time when everyone is supposed to," Shirou replied coolly, her tone betraying her lack of enthusiasm.

"You were?" Lancer's smirk remained intact, seemingly unaffected by Shirou's demeanor.

Shirou narrowed her eyes, her hand hovering near the door button, ready to close it in Lancer's face. However...

"Wait, wait, I'm here for a favor,"

"A favor?" she repeated in curiosity.
Before Shirou could inquire further, a crimson spear with an ominous design materialized in Lancer's right hand.

"I want a spar with you," he declared, his tone confident and challenging.

"..."

There was a moment of silence between the two, with Shirou glancing at Lancer as if he were a homeless dog.

Sensing the atmosphere, Lancer felt the need to explain further.

"You see, staying here, I've come to realize something... If that archer guy hates someone to the core, then it means that person is interesting. And before you ask how I know that, well, I'm a living example!"

"Huh?" Shirou wasn't sure if she was keeping up with what he was saying.
"That's right," Lancer continued. "When I heard so many rumors about him hating the new servant, which is you, I became intrigued. And my interest only grew when my Master told me about your fight with him and how you actually held your own against him in a double swords duel. Even though I hate to admit it, he's really in a higher league when it comes to sword fights. So... spar with me!"

Shirou blinked, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement. "Fight you? Just like that?" she asked incredulously.

Lancer grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Exactly! A friendly little spar between Servants, what do you say?"

She blinked again. "Ah, what about... NO."

Without waiting for a response, Shirou swiftly closed the door in his face, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

---