Shinji Matou at Your Service

The Mooncell login credentials that Shirou handed to Shinji were very intriguing. Shinji has yet to understand their exact nature. They seem to be information bodies made of photons or perhaps aggregations of spirit particles.

Shinji can see the blue crystal floating inside his mind, but he doesn't feel any substantial sensation from it. Only when his soul detaches from his body and enters Mooncell, does he feel a slight sense of reality.

The crystal bestows several abilities upon Shinji.

First and foremost is the login and logout feature, which is the most important and frequently used. This is the foundation for Shinji and Arcueid's travels between the fictional world and the real world, and it is also the opportunity for them to meet.

Next is the recording function. This feature is why Shinji developed the habit of making regular records. However, this is merely a derivative use of the recording function; its true purpose is for positioning. The fictional world is vast enough to rival the solar system, and without a positioning system, relying solely on memory would be insufficient. This isn't Earth, and Arcueid's ability to read world information doesn't apply here.

Logging out and logging back in at the same location relies on the positioning system. Otherwise, the two would have to return to the initial position every time they traveled back and forth.

This differs from Shinji's memory. His recollection of the spirit particle world, though vast, wasn't this exaggerated. It was mostly seven layers plus a hidden side, with each layer containing a city. However, upon reflection, he realized that what he saw was the Moon Holy Grail War, the protagonist's battlefield. There were so many unknown places that hadn't been shown. How could a system capable of simulating the solar system have only such a small amount of space? This must be the true scope of the spirit particle world.

Then there's the teleportation function. The fictional world is far more vast than Earth, and moving by conventional means would take a thousand years. Thus, the teleportation function exists.

Teleportation has two modes: fixed-point and random. The former is used to travel to previously recorded locations, while the latter is for going to new areas. Teleportation consumes Shinji's mental energy; fixed-point teleportation consumption is proportional to the distance, while random teleportation doesn't have this limitation. However, the destination is uncertain, making each method have its pros and cons.

Additionally, there are other functions, mostly combinations and derivatives of these three. Shinji is still exploring these.

After more than a month of exploration, Shinji and Arcueid have fully adapted to the spirit particle fictional world environment and have figured out the world's basic operating rules.

After all, this world is designed to observe Earth. The fictional world's environment mostly mirrors Earth, from large-scale landforms and city distributions to the small details of resident forms and architectural styles, all of which can find shadows in Earth's history—just shadows. Mooncell records so much, and the ways it presents this information are varied and bizarre.

Integrating architectural styles from different countries and periods into one city without feeling incongruous, or creating a city of all nations, is not unusual here.

The natives of the fictional world are of all kinds of races. There are gatherings of single races and a mix of various races, but there are no language barriers. They all come with an automatic translation system—at least, that's how Shinji understands it. If he wants to hear Japanese, he hears Japanese. If he wants to hear French, he hears French. If he's in a bad mood, he can listen in English.

During this time, Shinji and Arcueid have experienced many things. Although not grand or thrilling, these experiences had their charm, and both lost quite a few firsts.

Their first crime.

The fictional world is a complete world with civilization and society, and naturally, a currency system. Shinji and Arcueid enter as souls, so how could they bring money? The on-site money printing skill can't be used. To survive in a strange city, a little illegal means is sometimes necessary.

Despite its virtual name, this world is a real world. You need to sleep at night, you get hungry if you don't eat, and you die if you're killed—the various beasts they killed are the best evidence.

One dark and windy night, the two snuck into the most luxurious residential area and took a considerable amount of cash, then left the city overnight for the next. Who knows what era the city's security system was from? If they were discovered, it would have caused a lot of trouble.

Although Arcueid was looking forward to fighting the local enforcer, Shinji didn't agree. There are too many unknowns here; better to be cautious.

Their first job.

The stolen cash was only a temporary measure; it would eventually run out. To survive long-term in this world, they needed a way to earn money. The least costly and most suitable entry point was getting a job.

Shinji chose a busy restaurant and applied for a kitchen helper position. He had trained with knives and had a water attribute, so he was good at washing and cutting vegetables. Arcueid, with her good looks and lively personality, was perfect as a waitress.

Finally, after wandering this strange world for over ten days, the two settled down, collecting information and trying to blend into this world.

Their first bullying and first retaliation.

This refers specifically to Arcueid. Her social experience was practically zero, and she had no clear understanding of the complexities of human nature. Before this, she had no idea humans could become so ugly due to jealousy.

It was a very clichéd event. A well-dressed couple came to the restaurant. The middle-aged husband glanced a few too many times at the beautiful waitress, Arcueid. His wife became dissatisfied, making snide comments to her husband while finding various ways to trouble Arcueid.

Arcueid is rather thick-skinned, so it's inevitable that some minor mistakes occur. Since these are small issues, most customers don't mind. Occasionally, if someone does mind, they usually let it go because of Arcueid's sincere apologies and her charming demeanor.

But this time, driven by jealousy, the woman wouldn't let it go. She kept magnifying a tiny mistake, making Arcueid feel embarrassed in various ways. When the manager stepped in to mediate, the woman became even more arrogant, demanding that Arcueid be kicked out of the restaurant.

At this point, Arcueid couldn't bear it any longer. She didn't care about the embarrassment—that was meaningless to her. However, she valued this job highly because Shinji had told her it was an important starting point for exploring the new world. She wouldn't allow anyone to ruin it.

If not for remembering her promise to Shinji to not act impulsively and to wait for him to resolve problems, she would have thrown the woman out long ago. However, compared to the misfortune that was about to befall her, perhaps that would have been better.

What happened next was a surprising turn of events, as if the woman had been cursed. Her high heel suddenly broke, causing her to fall and knock over a table filled with dishes, ruining her clothes and destroying her previously decent image.

For a woman who cares about her appearance, this was hell. Immediately, she lost interest in her meal and stopped bothering Arcueid, dragging her husband away in a hasty retreat.

However, their escape was also fraught with mishaps. They kept tripping, hitting walls, and by the time they disappeared, the couple was bruised and battered, with their clothes in tatters.

"How was it?"

Shinji had silently appeared beside Arcueid.

The golden light in Arcueid's eyes gradually faded, and her usual bright expression returned. She habitually clung to Shinji's arm, laughing softly.

"Much better, you're amazing."

It was clear that the couple's misfortune was Shinji's idea, executed by Arcueid.

The matter didn't end there. Because of this incident, the manager gave them a few days off, and they took the opportunity to resume their exploration journey.

It was December 28, 1999. At that time, they had no idea where they would go or who would be waiting for them.