Tohsaka Rin left the school once again, fraught with worry.
"Tohsaka-senpai seems really troubled lately..."
"Yeah, yeah. She leaves school exactly on time every day and doesn't participate in club activities at all. She even took a long leave of absence three weeks ago."
"Could something have happened at home?"
"Probably not. Isn't the Tohsaka Family a prominent family in Fuyuki City?"
Emiya Shirou stood at the school gate, listening to the whispers of the underclassmen beside him, and fell deep into thought as he watched her figure gradually fade into the distance.
Actually, truth be told, he had a deep-seated admiration for the academically and morally excellent Tohsaka Rin, even though the two of them had basically no interactions up until now.
And what he didn't know was that Tohsaka Rin was actually quite curious about him too. As for the specific reason...
We still don't know exactly how many people were watching Emiya Shirou's High Jump that day.jpg
Anyway, both Sakura and Rin were drawn to him starting from that day.
These sisters really fall for this kind of thing... As expected of blood sisters.
"Senpai, what are you looking at?" Matou Sakura walked over from the side, tilting her head at him curiously.
"Nothing," Emiya Shirou was too embarrassed to say he was looking at another girl, so he could only shake his head slightly. "Let's go home, Sakura."
"Okay, Senpai," Matou Sakura smiled exceptionally brightly.
Going home.
Yeah, going home.
The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder just like that.
Honestly, students around this age were very gossipy. They hadn't been acting like this for just a day or two, and everyone suspected they were dating. Others were already somewhat accustomed to it, and only Emiya Shirou was still in denial.
"Senpai, how about we go buy some groceries first?" Matou Sakura said as they walked. "Yeah, we need to stock up on a lot of things at home, from food to daily necessities..."
"Do we really have to do this?" Hearing this, Emiya Shirou couldn't help but ask.
"We have to!" Matou Sakura was very firm. "For the next week, it's best if you don't go out, Senpai!"
In reality, if it wasn't impossible to persuade him, she wouldn't even want Emiya Shirou to stay in Fuyuki City.
"We..."
Just as she was about to say something, at the corner beside them, there was a person waiting with her arms crossed, leaning against the wall.
"I've been waiting a long time for you," Tohsaka Rin's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them.
"Eh, is there something you need, Tohsaka?" Emiya Shirou was a bit baffled. Even though he secretly admired Tohsaka, they hadn't actually spoken more than a few words...
"Not you, Emiya-kun," Tohsaka Rin's eyes turned to Matou Sakura. "Sakura, there are some things I want to ask you."
"Privately."
"...Senpai, you head home first," Matou Sakura turned to look at Emiya Shirou upon hearing this. "Don't worry about me. I'll be right there."
"Alright, I'll wait for you up ahead." Naturally, Emiya Shirou didn't choose to go back alone.
After saying that, he took a step and walked forward.
"You and him..." Seeing this, Tohsaka Rin couldn't help but want to ask something, but ultimately, looking at Sakura's distant demeanor, she couldn't bring herself to ask.
"Senpai is a very good person," Matou Sakura lowered her head. "Tohsaka-senpai, what do you want to ask?"
"...Does the Matou Family have any clues about that battle three weeks ago?" Tohsaka Rin was truly out of options. She couldn't fob off the Mages' Association at all, so she had to find out exactly what happened.
This matter could be considered big or small. The main thing was that they had handled it passably well and managed to cover it up. Since there was no risk of Mystery being exposed, the Association's mood was relatively stable.
However, the cause of the incident had to be investigated, otherwise the Association wouldn't just let it go. Blatantly violating a magus's rules like this—if they didn't bring down the hammer, how would other ambitious individuals view the Mages' Association in the future?
Therefore, this burden naturally fell onto Tohsaka Rin's shoulders.
Was the problem actually that big? Not really. It wasn't as if the previous Holy Grail Wars hadn't caused massive disturbances, and the Mages' Association hadn't said anything then either. As long as you could cover it up afterwards, it was fine.
Her current overwhelming pressure was purely because she was too young and inexperienced. They were just applying pressure out of convention and didn't even expect her to provide an answer. If it had been Tohsaka Tokiomi, he wouldn't have given a damn about this kind of pressure.
But alas, Tohsaka Rin was oblivious to this.
The only one who knew the ropes, Kotomine Kirei, was still eagerly looking forward to watching her make a fool of herself.
But what could she possibly find out? That battle had happened inexplicably, and Kotomine Kirei, the only one with clues, was still keeping her in the dark... After bumping around like a headless fly for several weeks, Tohsaka Rin finally succumbed to the pressure and sought out Sakura.
"...Does the Tohsaka Family know nothing at all?" Hearing this, Matou Sakura hesitated to speak.
In reality, she had previously harbored fantasies about her sister and the Mages' Association, thinking that if the Mages' Association pursued the matter, they might just directly eliminate the Einzbern, the biggest threat to Senpai.
But she had waited for so long, and there was surprisingly no news at all. They were eating and drinking as usual, living quite comfortably.
Matou Sakura thought all hope was lost, but it turned out the reason was that the Tohsaka Family hadn't been able to investigate anything at all...
"Does this mean you know some clues?" Hearing this, Tohsaka Rin perked up instantly, looking at her younger sister with radiant eyes.
"Einzbern," Matou Sakura sold out Xia Yu without any psychological burden. "They summoned a Servant ahead of time and arrived in Fuyuki City early. That battle was related to them!"
"What? Something like this happened?" Tohsaka Rin was utterly distressed upon hearing this. "When did this happen?"
"At least a month ago, I think," Matou Sakura sighed. "Tohsaka-senpai... I advise you not to think about relying on your own power to solve this. Ask the Association for help if you need to. After all, a Servant's power... you've seen it too."
"I'm going grocery shopping with Senpai now. Goodbye."
After saying that, Matou Sakura turned and left.
Meanwhile, Tohsaka Rin was left stunned in place.
No, do I really lack self-awareness to this extent? Why would Sakura think I would push myself to solve it alone?
Just looking at that commotion, it's not something I could mess with, right?
And to think it's the Einzbern? Causing such a huge mess so quietly... But fine, I got a clue, so I can at least report back for now.
Once I summon a Servant tomorrow, I'm definitely going to march up to their door and demand an explanation!
Please, it absolutely has to be Saber!
But I did get to talk with Sakura, hehe.
It's just that Emiya Shirou... What exactly is their relationship? Are they dating? I'm too embarrassed to ask either... Tohsaka Rin walked alone on the street, fraught with worry.
On the other side, Illya was giggling foolishly as she looked at Xia Yu.
"Sella," Xia Yu looked at her, deeply worried. "Illya's brain hasn't broken, has it?"
"Sella is very worried too," Sella also looked at Illya with concern. "It's been three weeks, why is the young miss still like this?"
"Sigh," Xia Yu sighed and waved her hand in front of her eyes.
"Berserker, what are you doing?" Illya blinked.
"Alright, she's still conscious," Xia Yu rubbed her cheeks. "What exactly has been up with you these past few days?"
"Nothing, I feel great," Illya smiled sweetly.
"...Speak. Who are you, and where have you hidden my arrogant and untamed Illya?" Xia Yu's gaze instantly sharpened.
"Stop messing around, Berserker," Illya giggled and swatted her hand away, saying, "I'm just too happy."
"What happened? Do you have to be this happy?" Xia Yu was completely baffled.
"Ugh, Berserker, you're so annoying!" Illya finally put on a stern face. "Don't you like going out and wandering around? Go, go! Just remember to come home for dinner!"
After saying that, she pushed Xia Yu out the door without a word of explanation.
Then she came back and continued giggling foolishly to herself.
"Young miss," Sella was very worried. "Are you really okay?"
"Sella," Hearing this, the foolish grin in Illya's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a radiant, high-spirited look. "I really pulled a god-tier card!"
"Yes, Miss Firefly is indeed very strong," Sella still didn't understand what she meant. "But in the Holy Grail War, no one knows what kind of people the opponents are. It's better to be a bit more cautious."
Looking at the young miss's current state, Sella would even believe her if she said she wanted to end the Holy Grail War in a single night!
"Ah, you don't understand. It's merely the Holy Grail War," Illya said, brimming with confidence. "Once my Berserker and I make our move, who in this world could stop us!"
In her dreams, she had already seen it.
She had seen that cruel battlefield, where a boundless Swarm dyed the entire sky pitch-black, and warriors clad in iron armor fought desperately. Obviously, Firefly was one of them, and what she had seen was her memories.
Under the assault of The Swarm, countless warriors fell on the path of their charge. In the end, relying on sacrifices, they still managed to take down that terrifying broodmother.
But the price was that out of all the warriors, only Firefly remained.
Then came the most crucial part. For some unknown reason, from Illya's perspective, Firefly just exploded with power, directly resummoned her armor, and shattered the entire planet with a single strike!
That was a planet! Do you know what kind of concept that is?
Illya had been completely dumbfounded. Seriously, with this kind of power, why would I be afraid of not winning the Holy Grail War?
I could win with my eyes closed, okay!
So now, her ego was infinitely inflated! Who else in this world could stop me!
A mere Holy Grail War is in the bag!
I'll even give you all a head start of a few nights, and then on the seventh day, come at me together! I'm going to fight seven... oh, six of you!
And just as Illya was delirious with joy, in another time and space, an orange-haired man eating instant noodles in the main control room stared wide-mouthed at Sheba, which had suddenly turned completely red.
"This is bad! Human History is facing another great crisis!!!"
Obviously, contrary to Illya's optimism, the Counter Force didn't quite agree with her ideas. Faced with such a dangerous person, they had no choice but to take action.
Especially Gaia!
===
T/N: I'm finally going to sell out. If you like this series, you can read ahead on my website: quick-tl(dot)com (must be a member to my patreon to access content on the website).