During Tohsaka Rin's explanation of the Holy Grail War, Archer finally brought out the late-night snacks.
"It's just simple home cooking; there weren't many ingredients in the fridge." Archer looked incredibly natural wearing that apron.
"Hey, Archer," Tohsaka Rin's eye twitched as she watched his effortless movements. "How are you so skilled at this?"
"It's just making a meal," Archer replied vaguely, not wanting to explain. "It's not exactly a difficult task."
He didn't dare reveal his True Name.
"Look at you," Xia Yu interjected, refusing to let him off the hook. "I don't even know what you're worried about."
"By the way, in your timeline, which one of them did you choose?"
Hearing this, Archer involuntarily glanced at Tohsaka Rin.
"Oh, I see," Xia Yu looked like she understood everything. "I get it, I get it. She is indeed quite wonderful."
"...I have no idea what you're talking about," Archer insisted, his face stiffening, but the way he looked away betrayed his thoughts.
"Wait, you're my Servant, right?!" Tohsaka Rin shouted, watching their silent exchange. She felt like she was being cuckolded. "Why are you so close to someone else? I don't even know anything about your past!"
"Calling it 'close' is an exaggeration," Xia Yu waved her hands dismissively. "I can guarantee, Rin, that he and I are just friends. We definitely aren't as close as you and he are!"
After all, you're the Holy Widow; based on status, who could possibly top you?
"But it's still weird!" Tohsaka Rin persisted. "He's clearly a Servant, right? Why would you be his friend?"
"Oh, you still don't know?" Xia Yu looked at Archer teasingly. "Now that's not right of you. Why haven't you told Rin?"
She eagerly fanned the flames. "It's not that big of a deal, right? Or are you just that ashamed to speak of it?"
"...I have amnesia," Archer stated with a forced, wooden expression. "Because her Summoning Ritual was flawed, I lost part of my memory. I have no idea what you're saying."
"I don't even know you!"
But I definitely have some connection to her. Otherwise, why would she be spilling these secrets one by one... she knows too much about me.
"Oh, you don't know me?" Xia Yu nodded with a smile. "Then shall we keep things professional?"
"Tell me, what mission did Alaya give you this time? It wouldn't happen to be related to me, would it?"
"...There is no mission," Archer said with only a hint of surprise. Since she knew so much, his identity as a Guardian likely wasn't a secret to her either.
"Then it's personal time during your vacation?" Xia Yu pressed.
"...You could say that," Archer nodded stiffly.
"Here for private business?" Xia Yu glanced at Tohsaka Rin again, then at Emiya Shirou. "Oh, I get it. You still can't let go of that—"
"I have amnesia, Miss!" Archer ground out through gritted teeth.
"Fine, fine, I know you have amnesia," Xia Yu finally let him be. "You'd better really have amnesia, otherwise..."
"There is no 'otherwise.' I have amnesia," Archer said decisively.
"Hey! You guys haven't answered my questions yet!" Tohsaka Rin slammed the table, then turned to Xia Yu. "And what's with calling me Rin? Do we even know each other?"
Using a given name right off the bat was quite rude.
"Oh, my name is Firefly. Now we know each other, Rin," Xia Yu said casually. "We're friends now, right?"
"Don't just decide things on your own!" Tohsaka Rin was losing her mind. "How are we friends? I haven't even—"
Before she could finish, a golden ripple shimmered behind Xia Yu. Archer and Artoria's pupils shrunk, and they instinctively tensed to defend.
However, it wasn't a weapon that emerged, but a dozen or so crystal-clear Gems that clattered onto the table.
"This is my 'friendship fee,'" Xia Yu said solemnly, pushing the Gems toward Tohsaka Rin. "Now, are we friends?"
"Best friends!" Tohsaka Rin snapped her hand over Xia Yu's. "Good sisters! You are practically my soulmate!"
Tohsaka Rin lacked her father's business acumen, and with Kirei as her guardian and his twisted sense of humor, her life was financially tight despite having the basics covered. This was especially true when considering the materials needed for her Magecraft.
It didn't help that she studied Jewel Magecraft, which was incredibly expensive!
In the field of Magecraft, Gems easily accumulate the will of the holder and store mana. Natural spirits often form in ores that have slept underground for a long time; Gems with elemental attributes are essentially simple Magic Crests.
A Gem housing a fire spirit can easily be ignited by injecting mana, and the same applied to other elements.
Whenever Rin had free time, she would transfer her mana into Gems to use as powerful "bullets." However, Jewel Magecraft was single-use; turning high-priced Gems into ash after one use was a drain even for a wealthy family.
For a jewel Magus, the thickness of their wallet determined the strength of their combat power.
Unfortunately, Tohsaka Rin's wallet was not thick. So while she usually maintained the air of an Ojou-sama, she was actually quite desperate for money.
"This... this ruby... this purity, this size!" Tohsaka Rin's eyes were filled with nothing but the Gems.
Archer slapped his forehead. Rin's weakness had been thoroughly exploited.
So who exactly is this Firefly?
And if I saw correctly just now, that was Gilgamesh's technique, wasn't it? Why does she have it?
Could she be Gilgamesh in disguise?
Impossible...
"Um, Tohsaka," at that moment, Emiya Shirou finished his snack with a conflicted expression.
Why conflicted?
Mainly because the taste was so familiar that he couldn't quite place where he had eaten it before. Or perhaps it wasn't that he couldn't remember, but that he had habitually filtered out the most likely answer.
"I still don't really understand," he scratched his head. "The Holy Grail, Servants, fighting to the death..."
He looked at the Saber beside him, then at the Command Spells on his hand. "Why do we have to do this?!"
Though he spoke this way, he likely understood the core of it; he was simply worried about Sakura. If Sakura had been chosen too...
"There is no 'why,'" Tohsaka Rin sighed, putting the Gems away. "If you really can't understand, we can only go ask the guy supervising the Holy Grail War."
"I can only tell you two things: you must fight, and your Servant is the key to your victory. You must utilize her effectively."
"However, there's another problem," Tohsaka Rin looked at Saber. "Your Servant seems to be in an incomplete state, right?"
"Indeed. As you say, I am not in my full state," Artoria said honestly. "Because Shirou is still immature as a Master, the Mana Supply is quite difficult."
"I see," Tohsaka Rin looked at Saber and then at Emiya Shirou. She was dying of envy. Just from her aura, she knew Saber was no ordinary Servant, and this wasn't even her peak.
"Wait, what are you all talking about?" Emiya Shirou said, feeling left out.
"It means you're holding Sa—Saber back," Xia Yu patted his shoulder. "As an exceptionally elite Servant, her mana consumption is naturally high. And you? As a power source, you're far from qualified."
"Precisely," Tohsaka Rin agreed. "As a Master, you're far from mature. So even if Saber's abilities are excellent, your future is looking bleak."
"Argh! Just thinking about it is frustrating!"
Tohsaka Rin slammed the table. "If I were Saber's Master, this Holy Grail War would already be in the bag!"
"Rin..." Archer muttered helplessly.
"Not necessarily," Xia Yu rested her chin in her hand and looked at Rin with interest. "Saber's strength is indeed excellent, but in this Holy Grail War, she isn't the strongest."
"What? There's someone even better???" Tohsaka Rin snapped her head up.
"The Einzbern family chose to summon Heracles," Xia Yu said with a smile.
"What?! Heracles?" Tohsaka Rin blurted out. "That's impossible. How could a god-tier Servant be summoned so easily?"
Artoria also frowned. Although she was confident in herself, thinking of his legendary name and looking at her own lack of mana...
"If they summoned the Hero Heracles rather than the God of Strength, and added some proactive constraints, it wouldn't be impossible," Xia Yu tapped the table lightly.
"That would be a blessing in disguise, I suppose," Tohsaka Rin said, before suddenly realizing something and looking at Xia Yu. "Wait, you still haven't said where you came from!"
"Where did you pop out from, anyway? I've never heard of a monster in this era who can wrestle with a Servant!"
"And the Child of Light of Ireland at that," Archer added curiously. "That is no ordinary Servant."
"Hmm? Aren't we best friends?" Xia Yu smiled and took Tohsaka Rin's hand. "You don't even know my background? That's quite a failure as a friend."
"I... you..." Tohsaka Rin looked like she wanted to argue, but feeling the heavy weight of the Gems in her pocket, she couldn't say a single word.
Her "sister" had simply given too much.
Emiya Shirou wanted to say something, but Xia Yu cut him off before he could start.
"Hey, Emiya-kun," Tohsaka Rin wouldn't let him off. "Where did you meet my best friend?"
"Um, Miss Firefly lives right across the street from me..." Emiya Shirou answered.
"I can't believe it..." Tohsaka Rin looked at Xia Yu, hesitated, and finally turned to Emiya Shirou.
"Forget it. We should head out."
"Wait, head out? Where to?" Emiya Shirou was bewildered.
"To see the guy who knows everything about the Holy Grail War, of course," Tohsaka Rin pouted. "You really want to know the reason for the Holy Grail War's existence, right?"
"But it's so late..." Emiya Shirou hesitated. "Is it okay?"
"It's fine. If you don't want to go, what about Saber?" Tohsaka Rin looked at Artoria, her ulterior motives unchanged.
"Wait, what does this have to do with Saber?" Emiya Shirou instinctively countered.
"Ho, already developed the awareness of a Master?" Tohsaka Rin teased. "Don't want me getting close to Saber that much?"
"That has nothing to do with it," Emiya Shirou said helplessly. "It's just so late. Isn't it rude to bother someone?"
"It's fine, he's a night owl," Tohsaka Rin dismissed him. "He definitely hasn't slept yet."
"So, are you going or not?"
"I'll go!"
Emiya Shirou had no choice; he did indeed want to know the answers to some questions.
"Then let's go—"
"You all go. That doesn't include me," Xia Yu stood up and shook her head. "I don't have that many questions. Go on without me."
"Well, let's leave it at that for tonight. I'm going back to rest."
With that, she let herself out and walked toward her house.
Illya was likely getting impatient.
As soon as Xia Yu opened her door, she saw Illya standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring at her crossly.
"Too slow, Berserker!" She stomped over, puffing out her cheeks. "Why didn't you just wipe them all out? You clearly could have done it!"
"So Illya really wants me to do that?" Xia Yu reached out and pinched her cheeks. "End the Holy Grail War tonight?"
"..." Illya went silent.
She didn't want that.
Because if that happened... as the Lesser Grail, she would...
"You just want to stay in The Living World for a few more days, don't you?" Illya looked away. "Hmph, I'm not heartless. I'll grant you that request!"
"Sure, sure, you're granting it to me," Xia Yu said with a grin, rubbing her head.
"You're so annoying, Berserker!" Illya brushed her hand away crossly. "By the way, that kid became a Master? How can there be such a coincidence?"
"How should I know?" Xia Yu spread her hands. "I just told him to go back and rest; who knew he'd suddenly pull out a Servant."
"Where are they going now?" Illya looked out the door.
"The Church," Xia Yu replied. "Emiya Shirou is still in the dark about the Holy Grail War. Tohsaka took him to learn about these things."
"Heh, sounds like that Tohsaka is actually a good person, not taking the chance to take down a rookie who knows nothing," Illya smiled. "A good person, huh..."
"In that case, Berserker, let's be the villains."
"Follow them and teach that guy a proper lesson! I didn't want to deal with him originally, but now that he's a Master, I have to act!"
"Consider it eliminating a threat. He's the one who walked right into us!"