Adam began reminiscing about the Servant known as Red A.
The strongest impression that came to mind was this: the ultimate mother hen.
What kind of Servant would worry about their Master catching a chill from the changing seasons and remind them to layer up?
After that, he would still nag them to drink more hot water and cut back on sugary drinks, insisting they weren't healthy at all.
He would also tell Adam not to be picky and to eat a proper, balanced, nutritious meal every time.
Fake maternal Servants: Minamoto no Raikou, Boudica, Helena...
The real maternal Servant: Red A!
...
Olga Marie looked quite surprised to hear that Adam knew the Archer.
"Adam, you actually know that Archer?"
Adam nodded, the delicious flavors still lingering on his tongue.
"Of course. He's one of the best cooks in my Chaldea!"
Olga Marie was utterly confused by his answer, her brows knitting together.
"A cook?!"
What was that supposed to mean?
Was he seriously saying he had summoned a rare and precious Servant to Chaldea...
just to turn him into a personal chef?
Did that even make sense?
[Olga Marie's Mood +10]
Ritsuka Fujimaru, on the other hand, wasn't overthinking any of it. She rubbed her already hollow-feeling stomach. It let out an unhappy rumble.
"Just talking about cooking is making me hungry."
No wonder—she hadn't eaten breakfast, and Olga Marie's long speech earlier had left her fighting low blood sugar and drowsiness.
Now, deep in this Singularity, only adrenaline was keeping her going.
"No worries. Once we resolve this Singularity and return to Chaldea,"
"I'll summon him right away so you can taste his cooking."
"His skills have never once received a single complaint in my entire Chaldea."
Ritsuka's eyes lit up instantly at Adam's words.
Then Adam reached into his Mystic Code, pulled something out, and handed it to her.
"Here, Ritsuka. This is for you."
Ritsuka took the long, bar-shaped item and stared at it blankly.
"What is this?"
Adam took out another one and explained,
"It's an emergency ration for quick energy replenishment."
"Since you're hungry right now, eat this first."
If anyone asked why Adam carried these around, the answer was simple: when you're grinding materials around the clock, you always keep supplies on hand. And incidentally, these particular rations had come from Red A.
"Thanks, Adam! This is exactly what I needed!"
Ritsuka quickly polished off the food.
Adam reached over and gently ruffled her hair.
"No need to thank me."
Ritsuka felt the sudden urge to wrap her arms around him and nuzzle her face against him countless times to show just how grateful she was. And, incidentally, replenish a bit of Adam's energy. Jeanne was purely incidental, of course.
[Ritsuka's Mood +10]
Olga Marie watched their interaction, her brow furrowing unconsciously. She cleared her throat loudly—"Ahem, ahem"—to draw their attention.
"Um, Adam… I'm hungry too. Could I have one as well?"
As she spoke, Olga Marie held out her hand toward him.
For some reason, though...
Her gaze wouldn't quite meet his, and a faint blush had crept across her cheeks.
Adam paused, sensing something a little off about the way she asked, but he still handed her one of the bars.
Olga Marie took it but didn't eat right away. She glanced at him a couple of times, then shyly looked away again. Almost imperceptibly, she leaned her head slightly closer to him, as if waiting for something.
Adam: "?"
He was genuinely puzzled.
Ritsuka pinched her chin, then suddenly realized what was going on and spoke up bluntly.
"Director, don't you lack a physical body right now? How can you even feel hungry?"
Caught red-handed, Olga Marie turned on Ritsuka with an embarrassed glare.
"Y-You mind your own business!"
The blush she had been trying to hide now flooded her entire face.
Cú Chulainn watched the exchange between Adam, Ritsuka, and Olga Marie with a big, fond, auntie-like smile. Still, he steered the conversation back on track.
"Alright, that's enough flirting for now."
"F-Flirting..." Olga Marie's face burned even brighter.
Ritsuka simply grinned openly without a word.
"Back to the Archer. Are you really sure he won't let his personal feelings sway the situation?"
Red A—that sharp-tongued but soft-hearted guy whose one true ideal was to save everyone.
He had begged for a miracle because he wanted to save five hundred people.
In the end, he had contracted with Alaya, the Counter Force of humanity, and become a Heroic Spirit.
In other words, Red A served as an agent of the Counter Force.
But that wasn't necessarily the whole story.
It was possible he was acting according to his own will.
He was called Red A because of that signature red cloak.
If Adam remembered correctly, that red overcoat had been given to Emiya by a certain curry-loving senpai.
Its purpose was to resist external interference—specifically, the influence of the Counter Force.
That meant when Emiya wore the red cloak, he followed his own will. If he ever took it off, he would become the vanguard of the Counter Force once more.
Thinking of this, Adam turned to Cú Chulainn beside him.
Since Cú Chulainn had fought the Archer, he should remember the outfit. Adam asked,
"Cú Chulainn, do you remember what the Archer you fought was wearing?"
Cú Chulainn thought for a moment.
"If I'm not mistaken, the guy had white hair, slightly tanned skin, and was wearing a black tank top with black pants."
Adam's brow furrowed. He hadn't heard any mention of a red coat.
"He wasn't wearing the red coat?"
Cú Chulainn double-checked his memory, then shook his head.
"No. That Archer definitely wasn't wearing one."
Adam took a deep breath.
"Then I can confirm it."
Without the red coat, Emiya was operating entirely as Alaya's pawn.
Every action he took in this Singularity—including deliberately letting the Saber kill him and joining her camp—was the Counter Force's choice.
Since Emiya joining the Saber's camp was Alaya's decision, what exactly was the Saber's own position?
...
...
...
After remaining silent for a long time, Adam finally decided to stop overthinking the question.
Since Emiya was aligned with Alaya, their true goal here could only be uncovered by asking the man himself.
The thought of facing Emiya soon brought a mischievous grin to Adam's face. He had just come up with something fun.
He opened his system panel and scanned through his Servant roster.
His gaze finally settled on one Servant who shared the same white hair, dark skin, and overall aura as Emiya.
[EMIYA (Assassin)]
Time to defeat Emiya with Emiya (said in dad voice).
***
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