While her main body was busy training Koneko in the Underworld, Jeanne Alter's avatar was babysitting back in Kuoh Town.
Well, both sides technically counted as babysitting—whether it was Koneko, Asia, or Ophis, all of them were just children in Jeanne's eyes. The kind who gave their elders headaches. Koneko had matured a little thanks to recent events, but she still hadn't outgrown the "child" category.
Jeanne had made quite a mess on Mount Sumeru recently, paying homage in her own way to Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King beloved by millions. Since some equated Indra with the Jade Emperor, she'd basically stormed heaven herself.
Frankly, Jeanne didn't care about the differences between these mythologies; rivalries and confrontations between various pantheons were common throughout history. Buddhism and Taoism had argued endlessly, each side denigrating the other's chief gods to elevate themselves. Christianity, in particular, excelled at this—absorbing local deities into their mythology and casting them as demons, such as Baal from the Canaanite pantheon, who became Beelzebub.
Still, Jeanne admitted one shortcoming compared to the Monkey King: when Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in heaven, everyone from the highest heavens to the lowest hell knew exactly who'd done it. His name was etched in legend. Jeanne, on the other hand, had remained hidden behind a blazing sun, and aside from Azazel and Sirzechs, the whole world assumed Khaos Brigade was responsible for the attack on Mount Sumeru.
Well, it's fine. Wukong got suppressed by Buddha shortly after his rampage. Thanks to Khaos Brigade taking the blame, I can relax.
Not that she was worried anyway—she'd gladly cut down anyone who dared come looking for trouble, dragging Ophis along if necessary. Right hand wielding a divine sword, left hand clutching Ophis, she'd happily carve a path from Heaven's gate all the way to Mount Olympus.
Summer vacation was nearly over, and though summer itself was ending, the temperature showed no signs of dropping. Jeanne even wondered if her recent battle might have contributed to global warming.
While hiding indoors with air conditioning and ice cream was tempting, Jeanne felt unusually restless. She'd stayed indoors for barely ten days and already felt like she was going moldy.
How did I manage to stay indoors for months at a time before? Could it be because of summer events in Fate/Grand Order?
Or perhaps her new appearance was just too dazzling, attracting attention whenever she went outside.
Ha! Behold my beauty, mortals! Feast your eyes upon me! Jeanne thought proudly, standing atop her bed, hands on her hips.
Then, she suddenly froze, looking downward.
Dressed simply in a white shirt and shorts, Jeanne casually lifted her shirt slightly and pinched her waist.
Her eyes twitched.
"…An illusion, surely. Why does it feel like I've gained a bit of belly fat?"
"That can't be right. I live such a disciplined life: four meals a day, five cups of bubble tea, and just a dozen or so ice creams as snacks each afternoon. I always get up punctually at 11 AM... Besides, Servants don't gain weight! It must be my imagination…"
Jeanne sat cross-legged on her bed, letting the cool air-conditioned breeze calm her mind.
"Hmm…maybe I should take Ophis and Asia to a water park?"
No misunderstanding—this was purely for the sake of the two kids at home. She worried they'd grow bored indoors and wanted them to experience the liveliness of everyday life.
Moreover, Jeanne considered Asia's social life. Classmates would likely talk endlessly about their summer trips when school started, and Asia would feel isolated if she had no similar experiences. Likewise, Ophis needed more experiences in the human world to grow attached to it, rather than obsessing over returning to the empty Dimensional Gap.
This was completely for their benefit!
Certainly not because Jeanne herself might have lacked exercise recently. Absolutely not!
This "avatar" Jeanne had created using Ashiya Douman's spells shared real-time experiences and memories with her main body. They were essentially interchangeable, so the distinction between the main body and avatar was blurred—an advantage for security, ensuring her enemies couldn't find her true location.
Deciding quickly, Jeanne approached Asia with her idea.
"Huh? A water park?" Asia blinked, understandably startled by Jeanne's abrupt plan. Fortunately, Asia wasn't the type to meticulously schedule every minute of her day; otherwise, Jeanne's spontaneous approach would have driven her mad long ago.
Ophis silently glanced their way, remaining quiet and doll-like. Jeanne still felt a pang of sorrow whenever she imagined the poor treatment Ophis had endured with Khaos Brigade.
"What's wrong, Asia? Don't you want to go? Do you have other plans?"
"No, no, it's just sudden…" Asia shook her head, smiling sweetly. "Wherever Jeanne-san wishes to go, please allow me to accompany you."
"Good. But, uh, have you decided on a place yet?"
"We can find a good spot online easily enough. Let's just pick the highest-rated water park. I hope it won't be too crowded…" Jeanne rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Summer break is almost over; it shouldn't be packed, right?"
Jeanne's concern made sense, but Asia had a different worry:
"But, swimsuits? None of us have suitable swimsuits yet…"
"What do you mean? We have the school swi—" Jeanne stopped mid-sentence. School swimsuits—commonly known as sukumizu—were indeed awful outside of school. No one would wear that willingly in public.
"And besides…" Asia glanced at Ophis. "Ophis-chan doesn't have a swimsuit either."
"You're right. We'll have to buy Ophis something cute."
Decision made. Ophis didn't say a word.
Asia, Ophis, and Jeanne headed straight to the department store, fighting the oppressive heat along the way. Thankfully, the store's air conditioning was strong enough to freeze anyone who dressed too lightly—not that it affected Jeanne or Ophis in the slightest.
They quickly headed to the swimsuit section. Time was limited if they wanted a fun day at the water park.
Jeanne didn't dare let Ophis choose her own swimsuit—she still vividly remembered Ophis' awful first outfit: two strategically placed bandages. Jeanne had zero faith in Ophis' sense of fashion.
"I think this one would be adorable on Ophis-chan…"
"This one's good too…"
"A cute child like Ophis would look amazing in this one too…"
"Ah, it's so hard! They're all perfect…"
Even the shop assistants joined in on the impromptu dress-up session. After all, Ophis was truly adorable and, crucially, extremely well-behaved.
"What do we do, Jeanne-san? They're all perfect! It's too hard to choose…"
Holding three different swimsuits, Asia looked pleadingly toward Jeanne, who eventually sighed.
"Buying them all isn't a problem; we're not short on money. But we're going straight to the water park, so Ophis can't wear them all at once…"
Finally, Jeanne simply picked the most expensive one, solving Ophis' swimsuit problem. Next came herself and Asia.
"Asia, are you ready yet?"
Outside the dressing room, Jeanne held their bags, calling out.
"Ah…a-almost done…" came Asia's shy, flustered reply through the curtain.
"Okay…I'm ready…"
The curtain parted slightly as Asia peeked out timidly, cheeks flushed like a nervous hamster.
Asia's always so shy, even though we're both girls… Jeanne thought.
Eventually, gathering her courage, Asia pulled the curtain fully aside.
She wore a charming one-piece swimsuit: mostly white with soft yellow floral patterns. For once, her golden hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing smooth, porcelain skin on her back and neck.
"H-how does it look?" Asia blushed deeply under Jeanne's gaze, dizzy with embarrassment and joy.
"Hmm…" Jeanne inspected her thoroughly, smiling gently. "You look really cute in that swimsuit, Asia. Makes me want to hug you."
"C-cute?" Asia's blush intensified. Embarrassed, she stared at her feet.
Without looking at any other swimsuits, Asia decisively chose this one.
"Not going to look around more? Maybe there's something even better?" Jeanne asked outside the store.
"No…this one is perfect," Asia whispered, clutching her swimsuit bag as if it contained a precious treasure. A warm, gentle smile appeared, but her tone was firm.
Recalling Jeanne's earlier praise filled Asia's heart with overwhelming happiness.
"I'll treasure it dearly…" she murmured—whether referring to the swimsuit or to the memory, not even she knew.
"Jeanne-san, have you already picked yours?"
Jeanne nodded casually. "Of course. Didn't take long."
She'd just grabbed a random swimsuit and…
[Fenghuang]: Approved!
[Jeanne Alter]: Approved!
"Two approvals, perfect!"
Oddly, Asia looked deeply disappointed at Jeanne's answer.
I wanted to see Jeanne-san in a swimsuit, but I took too long choosing mine…
Still, Asia cheered up, knowing she'd see Jeanne in it soon anyway.
Right then, standing beside Jeanne, Asia offered a fervent prayer.
Dear Lord, please grant your humble follower's wish… Let me see Jeanne-san in a swimsuit! I beg you just this once!