The alarm next to my head blares loudly throughout the room, and it's more instinct than energy that leads to me slapping the alarm's button, bringing back the tranquil silence. A deep sigh escapes my lips, the fatigue of yesterday not quite gone with just one rest, but my job isn't something that can just be ignored. I lever myself up to a sitting position, letting the thin covers drape off my form.
A quick glance towards the mirror on my bedstand reveals no lasting damage to anything above the shoulders at least. A perfectly unremarkable ${character.gender} face looks back at me, rings under the eyes doing nothing to make me feel better about the almost constant tiredness in my limbs. The allure of my pillow calls so strongly to me that every motion to drag myself out of bed physically hurts - not much, just enough to foreshadow the inevitable events of the day.
Plodding over to my dresser I pull out the familiar uniform of Chaldea, its white blazer and black leggings so simple but welcome in its own way. If nothing else, these threadbare Mystic Codes have been the difference between life and death a few times before, so it's hard not to feel some pleasure at slipping them on.
Of course, that only leaves one last thing to do, the most onerous of all - or perhaps I should say "oni-rous"? Oh, that hurt to even think. If I'm making puns this bad, it's only a matter of time before Tamamo seems witty.
Cracking my neck, almost like I'm preparing for a fight, I calmly state "Magical Circuits, activating. Materialize, Assassin."
In response to my words, a strong burst of wind blows through my room - which is conspicuously missing a window or open door for such a breeze to enter - carrying the stench of potent wine. From that wind, small motes of purple light coalesce before me, eventually turning into the kneeling form of the Servant with whom I have been contracted, the fearsome oni Shuten Douji.
Not that many would think she was fearsome at first sight. Hell, she'd probably be charged for indecent exposure rather than strike fear into anyone's heart, but that just goes to show you who much you can't judge a book by its cover. Shuten's tiny frame was basically naked, her pale skin gleaming in the soft light of my room. A sheer robe of purple silk hung wide open, covering only a bit of her shoulders but leaving the rest of her youthful body exposed. While her nearly flat chest and genitalia were hidden, this half-assed getup seemed all the more lewd for what it hinted at.
But, aside from a momentary blush at her attire, I've long since grown used to being around the oni. A pair of horns emerging from her forehead marked her status as something inhuman, and her vivid, violet eyes narrowed into purely predatory slits as she smugly grins up at me. Her soft, teasing voice easily reaches my ears when she says "Servant Shuten Douji, appearing as ordered. I do hope you managed to sleep well, my dear Master."
Truly, it's amazing how much sarcasm she can manage to put into a single sentence. Even after a whole year of working alongside Shuten, she and I just refuse to see eye-to-eye on, well, anything. "Pretty well, all things considered," I reply, double checking the back of my right hand, where the 3 Command Spells that mark me as a Master have been engraved.
Shuten's grin only widens. "Come now, Master ${character.name}. You were the one who insisted on enjoying all the fruits of my perfect body last night. This smooth skin, these budding breasts, my voluptuous rear, you worked them all quite tirelessly."
I take a seat on the edge of my bed, smirking at Shuten's choice of words. "Oh yes, I got to experience them all several times over as you ruthlessly attempted to beat me to death. If it weren't for Tamamo, you would be looking for a new Master, Shuten."
The tiny oni's smile never falters as she rises up from her kneeling position to stand in front of me. Even sitting down, my eyes are level with her's, and the tips of her horns would only barely reach my chest if I were standing. Bowing in a mocking fashion, one that pointedly emphasizes her near absence of clothing, Shuten says "Well, as that hasn't happened, I suppose we had best get to the Command Room. No doubt they have something for us to waste our time upon."