-2232- Don't need that kind of stuff?

It must be said that reuniting with his old friends like this, casually chatting and teasing each other, was a nostalgic experience for Rozen. 

Throughout it all, Rozen remained remarkably relaxed—something that might seem unremarkable to others but was quite surprising to Mash and the others who had witnessed the turmoil and battles across multiple worlds. 

"How rare. I didn't expect him to be this carefree," Jeanne [Alter] murmured curiously. 

"This is good. Even the most valiant warriors shouldn't remain tense all the time," Artoria [Alter] remarked approvingly. 

"You've worked hard all this time, Rozen-sama," Serenity offered gently. 

"It's wonderful that you have friends like this in another world, Senpai," Mash said softly, clearly happy—even moved—to see Rozen like this. 

In truth, the Servants had also been influenced by Rozen. 

Since arriving in this world, they had gradually become more lively than before, subtly shaped by Rozen's attitude. 

Realizing this, they chose not to disturb him further. 

This rare moment of peace was something they wanted Rozen to fully enjoy. 

However, Rozen noticed something odd. 

"What are you doing fiddling with your phone like that, Kojou?" 

While chatting with Asagi and Motoki, Rozen realized Kojou had pulled out his phone at some point, looking troubled. 

"What's wrong? Something not working? If it's a software issue, I can fix it for you," Asagi offered casually, as if it were nothing—though most people couldn't do what she could. 

"Don't tell me Yuuma found those 'special files' I sent you last time?" Motoki snickered. 

"It's not that!" Kojou snapped irritably. "And why did you even send me that stuff in the first place?!" 

"Just giving you some reference material," Motoki said with mock sincerity. "With Nagisa-chan gone, it's just you and Yuuma at home now. Perfect opportunity, right?" 

At this point, Rozen and Asagi immediately understood. 

"Opportunity? Reference material?" 

Yukina, however, looked utterly confused. 

"Don't listen, Yukina. Your ears will fall off," Asagi said, covering Yukina's ears, leaving the girl both bewildered and oddly touched. 

"So you're finally taking an interest in that kind of thing, Kojou?" Rozen smirked. "That's good. I was starting to think you'd stay as dense as some light novel protagonists forever." 

"Who's dense?! And since when do I need that kind of thing?!" Kojou looked ready to explode. "And don't act like you didn't get the same files!" 

"Me?" Rozen scoffed without thinking. "I don't need that kind of stuff." 

Before Kojou could respond, Motoki's eyes lit up as if he'd struck gold. 

"Why not? Don't tell me you've already... graduated?" 

His expression was one of pure revelation. 

"No way..." 

Kojou stared at Rozen in shock. 

"Graduated?" 

Yukina remained clueless. 

"...Nichiyo. Don't tell me you've already..." 

Asagi fell silent for a moment before turning to Rozen with a terrifying glare. 

"Uh..." 

Only now did Rozen realize the dangerous implications of what he'd just said. 

Under the weight of everyone's stares, he broke into a cold sweat. 

Quickly, he changed the subject. 

"Why are you all looking at me like that? Kojou's the one messing with his phone!" 

The diversion worked—attention shifted back to Kojou. 

"I-I'm not doing anything shady!" Kojou protested. "I'm just worried because Nagisa hasn't contacted me lately." 

Now the topic had successfully shifted. 

"Nagisa-chan hasn't been in touch?" Yukina asked, surprised. 

"Wait, didn't she call you last week?" Motoki tilted his head. 

"Yeah, but that was a week ago," Kojou sighed. "She said she was almost at Grandma's place, and then... nothing. It's making me uneasy." 

Hearing this, the others frowned slightly. 

Objectively, it wasn't unusual for a middle schooler not to constantly check in with her older brother—Kojou's concern might seem excessive. 

But for Nagisa, this silence was strange. 

By nature, Nagisa was extremely talkative—even chatty to a fault. Even with Avrora and Gajou accompanying her, she should have been bombarding everyone with calls, messages, emails, and photos nonstop. A whole week without contact was highly unusual. 

During her middle school trip, even Rozen had received a constant stream of messages and photos from her late into the night. Someone like Nagisa wouldn't just go silent without reason. 

"You texted Nagisa too, right, Nichiyo?" Kojou asked. 

"Yeah," Rozen nodded. "I sent a message saying I was back so they wouldn't worry. But no reply." 

"That's weird," Asagi immediately pointed out. "If they knew you were back, Nagisa and Avrora would've called immediately—maybe even turned around to come home. Why no response?" 

That was what puzzled Rozen too. 

"Maybe there's no signal where they are?" Motoki suggested casually. "Didn't you say your grandma lives in some rural shrine in Tanzawa? Plus, Itogami Island is pretty far from the mainland, separated by sea. Spotty reception makes sense." 

"Maybe..." Kojou nodded, though he still didn't seem entirely convinced. 

Rozen thought for a moment before asking, 

"By the way, Kojou—didn't you say your grandmother was an amateur Attack Mage?" 

This caught everyone's attention. 

Especially Yukina, who turned to Kojou in surprise. 

"Your grandmother is an Attack Mage, Akatsuki-senpai?" 

She hadn't known this. 

Kojou, however, shrugged it off. 

"Well, yeah, but she's unregistered. Usually just stays at the shrine, occasionally goes out to teach some disciples. People seem to respect her a lot—probably because she did a lot of Attack Mage-related work when she was younger, solving problems for folks." 

Rozen fell silent again, deep in thought.