Ruby and the others were intelligent lifeforms created using human bodies as vessels. They possessed complete individuality and independent thought. However, from the very beginning, Kamiyā Yuu had designed them to be absolutely loyal to him and to hold maximum affection toward him.
They were similar to the Guardians in 'Overlord' and their loyalty toward Ainz Ooal Gown.
With a single command from Kamiyā Yuu, they would willingly sacrifice themselves.
They served as his representatives in this world, handling the administrative responsibilities left behind whenever he was absent.
If this world were a city-building simulation game, they would be equivalent to a highly advanced automated management system.
At present, Kamiyā Yuu's activities in this world have two primary objectives.
The first was to deeply research the connection between this world and the consciousness space in order to better understand and further develop the abilities of the consciousness space.
The second was simply a personal hobby derived from the first.
In ordinary terms:
Randomly advancing the technology tree.
The Matrix Network Technology Company had already become a highly influential corporation in this world.
While it appeared not to focus on hardware development, its software capabilities had long surpassed those of other technology companies.
It had developed more advanced search engines, released highly capable language-translation software, and sold numerous black-technology-level patents to major corporations.
A research group led by Blake had begun work on a new generation of CPU architecture.
The goal was to create a network world no longer built solely upon binary code.
The system would fully support Complete Vision, Complete Auditory Simulation, and Complete Tactile Neural Simulation.
If successful, it would represent a major step toward the fully immersive virtual reality technology found only in science fiction.
As for smell and taste simulation, those were not priorities for the time being.
Within the consciousness space, Yang and Ruby spent a while pestering Kamiyā Yuu before entering one of the fully immersive games he had created.
There, they could freely use the abilities they possessed in their original settings to fight monsters.
"Boom! Boom!"
Inside the ruins of a magnificent royal city, the roar of explosions shook the walls.
Equipped with mechanical gauntlets, Yang punched a gigantic black armored knight and sent it flying.
The heavy armor carved a deep trench through the marble floor before crashing into a pillar.
Its five-meter-long sword flew from its grasp.
The crimson glow beneath its helmet flickered briefly before fading.
"Thirty-three."
The shockwave lifted Yang's naturally curly blonde hair.
A delighted grin appeared on her face.
She swung her arms, ejecting smoking shell casings from her gauntlets before reloading fresh ammunition.
The casings clattered onto the marble floor.
Elsewhere, Ruby stood atop another giant armored knight.
Her massive red mechanical scythe roared to life.
The recoil from its internal mechanism greatly enhanced the force of her strike.
Sparks exploded as the blade sliced through the armor.
Red rose petals drifted from the opening.
As the giant knight collapsed, Ruby lightly flipped away and landed gracefully nearby.
Looking at the battlefield littered with destroyed armor, she sighed.
"Twenty exactly. Not bad."
"At least it's a nice round number."
She tapped a fallen helmet with her scythe and comforted herself.
Yang ran over and enthusiastically ruffled Ruby's black hair.
"Hehe, little sis, I win again."
Ruby transformed her red-and-black scythe back into its storage form and attached it to her waist.
"These guys are too slow."
"I prefer agile opponents."
"They usually aren't covered in armor."
"Hitting these metal giants with a scythe feels as awkward as punching a rock."
Nearby, Blake quietly observed and recorded combat data.
Through her connection to Kamiyā Yuu's consciousness, she could easily collect information about their physical responses during battle.
The data would be useful for researching Complete Tactile Neural Simulation.
In another corner of the consciousness space, within a blank white world containing only a simple table, Kamiyā Yuu and Weiss sat across from one another, drinking tea.
Kamiyā Yuu was reviewing reports concerning Matrix.
The process only took seconds.
With a thought, he transmitted his feedback directly into Weiss's mind.
He quietly watched the silver-haired girl before him.
She frowned slightly, apparently preoccupied with something.
The scar near her eye stood out prominently.
Kamiyā Yuu could sense her emotions but could not read her thoughts.
At moments like this, he truly realized that the girl before him was no longer merely a creation of his own mind.
She was an independent individual.
"Do you have any objections to these decisions?"
Kamiyā Yuu smiled and took a sip of tea.
Within the consciousness space, his emotional fluctuations were greatly subdued.
"No."
Hearing his question, Weiss immediately looked up.
After hesitating for a while, she shook her head.
Her side ponytail swayed gently.
"Yuu..."
"Do you... like Yang's way of greeting people?"
"I do."
Kamiyā Yuu answered without hesitation.
Weiss froze.
The response was not what she had expected.
Immediately, she stood up in frustration and placed her hands on the table.
"Yang is one thing, but why do you encourage her?"
"I don't like that side of her."
"She has no restraint, no manners."
"She's too self-centered and never thinks about how others feel."
"She's no different from a wild country girl."
Her icy blue eyes were filled with grievance and stubbornness.
Tears glimmered faintly within them.
Although all four girls obeyed Kamiyā Yuu absolutely, they still retained distinct personalities.
Weiss was prideful, sharp-tongued, and accustomed to giving orders.
She distrusted people easily and often came across as a spoiled princess.
From a personality standpoint, she was practically destined to clash with Yang and Ruby.
Kamiyā Yuu had given them the personalities of their original characters, but not the shared memories of their adventures.
As a result, their relationships remained far from harmonious.
"Do you want to try it too, Weiss?"
Kamiyā Yuu smiled.
Years of experience with anime and games had taught him a simple truth:
The most effective way to deal with a tsundere whose affection had already reached a certain level was direct honesty.
The effect was immediate.
Weiss's face turned bright red.
She stood there speechless, unable to respond.
After a long pause, she finally muttered an incoherent answer.
The conversation continued privately between them.
Weiss expressed her desire for reassurance regarding their relationship, while Kamiyā Yuu calmly affirmed that their bond would not change.
His answer satisfied her.
The tension in her expression gradually disappeared, replaced by relief and happiness.
"I understand," she replied softly.
······
After finishing the Matrix reports submitted by Weiss, Kamiyā Yuu turned his attention toward gathering information related to the Type-Moon universe.
Official materials.
Fan theories.
Obscure information from forgotten corners of the internet.
He collected everything and organized it systematically.
His goal was to create a complete and internally consistent ruleset for the Type-Moon setting.
Only then could the true appeal of the franchise be fully realized.
Compared with the original style of 'Fate/stay night', Kamiyā Yuu personally preferred Gen Urobuchi's version of 'Fate/Zero'.
It's more serious and ruthless storytelling that better showcases the charm of the Type-Moon worldbuilding.
The Fourth Holy Grail War and the Fifth Holy Grail War felt like entirely different stories.
Leaving aside the differences among the Masters, even the Heroic Spirits themselves seemed to exist on different levels.
Even Gilgamesh, who had been a final-boss-level Servant in the Fourth War, came across as little more than an arrogant fool in parts of the Fifth.
Since 'Fate/stay night' did not exist in this world, adapting 'Fate/Zero' would create numerous complications.
Yet in another sense, that was a good thing.
It freed him from the constraints of the original work and gave him much greater creative freedom.
"Just organizing the setting information alone could produce a reference book longer than the novel itself."
"I could always publish that as supplemental material and let readers imagine the rest."
"If I remember correctly, Type-Moon, Touhou, and Ryukishi07's 'Higurashi When They Cry' were once known as Japan's three great doujin miracles."
"Besides the Fate series, there's also 'Tsukihime' and 'The Garden of Sinners'."
"I could mention them briefly while writing 'Fate/Zero'."
"And if I ever have time, I could adapt those stories too."
He continued organizing ideas.
Among them was the concept of a card-collection game inspired by Heroic Spirits.
"Something like the 2016 mobile game 'Fate/Grand Order'."
"The gameplay was fairly rough by modern standards, but Heroic Spirits are naturally suited to a card-based format."
"If I get the chance later, I can hand a project like that over to Mizuhara Raiko's game company."
"The profits could help cover the studio's funding shortages."
"There are still too many settings that need adjustment."
"The most troublesome issue is Saber."
"In 'Fate/Zero', she's only one of several notable protagonists."
"Without the foundation provided by 'Fate/stay night', would she still achieve such overwhelming popularity?"
He thought for a moment.
"No."
"That's not quite right."
"From my perspective, after experiencing two worlds, Saber's character doesn't seem particularly unusual."
"But in the current industry, there still isn't a heroine with a similar archetype."
"A noble and heroic knight princess should still be popular no matter what."