"So, is Sakura really that short on mana?"
At six in the morning, Tohsaka Rin woke everyone up right on time, gathering them in the living room.
"Wait, Miss Tohsaka, if you're here, then Miss Sakura..." Fujimaru Ritsuka trailed off.
"Don't worry, Archer is watching over her," Tohsaka Rin said listlessly. "Didn't they say Sakura is desperate for mana? Why didn't anything happen all night?"
"We stood guard outside the door and confirmed that Miss Sakura never even came out," Fujimaru Ritsuka sighed as well. "Let alone attacking us Magi."
"Is Sakura's situation... really that dire?" Emiya Shirou frowned and asked.
Being a total novice in Magecraft, he didn't truly understand Sakura's current state.
"Extremely dire!" Fujimaru Ritsuka said with a bitter smile. "Provided Miss Firefly wasn't lying to us."
"That person doesn't look like someone who would lie at all," Tohsaka Rin said dejectedly. "Nor is there any need for her to lie to us."
"Everyone, we might have been looking in the wrong direction." Just then, the reliable adult spoke up. Da Vinci spoke through the Communicator: "Miss Sakura's lack of mana is real, but just now, I had Mash use the equipment to take a measurement... for some reason, the mana in her body has increased significantly."
"But we weren't attacked at all?" Tohsaka Rin froze. "She hasn't come out either!"
"From what I understand, the reason Miss Sakura became like this is because she was implanted with a Holy Grail Shard, thus establishing a connection with the corrupted Grail, right?"
Da Vinci spoke eloquently: "And the Grail relies on the Greater Grail System, which in turn is tightly connected to the Leylines of Fuyuki City..."
"So, is it possible she doesn't need her physical body to walk out? She only needs to follow the Leylines... to reach wherever she wants to go. It sounds a bit far-fetched, but since the traces of a Beast have appeared, even the most absurd things could be true."
"Furthermore, I can see that Miss Sakura truly cares about the two of you," Da Vinci continued. "Even if she loses consciousness and her subconscious takes control of her body, she likely wouldn't want to hurt you."
"So even though the most convenient source of mana, Magi, is right in front of her, she would choose to avoid the two of you under the influence of her subconscious?"
"If that's the case, haven't we been wasting our time these past two nights?" Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou looked at each other.
"Sakura went to the city..." Tohsaka Rin's face turned pale instantly. "There aren't many Magi left in Fuyuki City. No news from the Church, and Miss Furina is at Mount Enzou with no movement..."
"Actually, ordinary people's bodies can also provide mana," Da Vinci sighed and said. "It's just... the efficiency isn't high."
"So perhaps Sakura has already..." Realizing that her sister might have already started a massacre outside, Tohsaka Rin slumped down.
"What?!" Emiya Shirou's face was full of disbelief.
"The gentle Sakura... actually... no, that's impossible!"
Having not yet encountered the cruelty of the world, he couldn't accept such a reality.
Because of Xia Yu's interference, he, who should have been growing step-by-step, had not yet embarked on that path.
"Tonight at least, we must watch her," Tohsaka Rin stood up and said. "I'm going home. My house has Magecraft for monitoring the Leylines. I'll watch them like a hawk."
"I'll notify you the moment there's the slightest anomaly."
After speaking, she acted strong, though she seemed to have spent all her energy. She left the Emiya Residence in a wretched state without looking back.
"Miss Tohsaka is..." Mash didn't quite understand.
"Mash, Miss Tohsaka has... made a very difficult decision," Da Vinci-chan explained. "Normally, as the Manager of the Spiritual Land of Fuyuki City, she should have ended Miss Sakura's life with her own hands by now."
"But in the end, she chose to go back and monitor the Leylines... this implies a dereliction of duty as a manager. If anything happens, the entire Tohsaka Family will be held responsible. She will likely lose the family inheritance of hundreds of years."
"She might not even be able to keep her own life."
"Mash, for a Magus from a traditional family, being able to go this far... is truly not easy."
"Then what should we do now?" Fujimaru Ritsuka looked toward the omnipotent Da Vinci-chan.
"What else can you do?" Da Vinci-chan said with a smile. "Of course, play to your respective strengths!"
"Get out there and gather intelligence for me! It's rare to encounter such a friendly enemy; how could we not make good use of it!"
"Emiya-kun mentioned it, didn't he? Miss Firefly's Master seems interested in you, so you're in charge of winning over her Master!"
"Ritsuka! You and Mash are responsible for approaching Miss Firefly. Gather whatever intelligence you can!"
"In short, others have put their centuries-old family legacy on the line as their resolve. You can't slack off either!"
"I understand, Da Vinci-chan!" Fujimaru Ritsuka perked up and pumped her fist. "I'll definitely work hard!"
"Mhm, I'll work hard together with Senpai too!" Mash also appeared full of fighting spirit.
"Approaching Miss Illya?" Emiya Shirou squeezed out a smile. "I need to work hard too."
Outside the living room.
Matou Sakura subconsciously wiped the moist traces from her face.
I... I'm crying?
Sister... actually...
I'm sorry...
"Uh, this is our itinerary for today?" Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash looked at each other, then at the bustling amusement park in front of them, and finally at Xia Yu.
"You know," Xia Yu sighed and said sorrowfully, "I'm a Homunculus. I was born for battle and fought throughout my life. Aside from fighting, I haven't been able to take a good look at this world. So, it's not strange that I've never been to an amusement park and am interested in it, right?"
"Uh, me too!" Mash said eagerly. "I'm a Homunculus too—wait, test-tube baby experiment. Uh, although I haven't been fighting constantly, I was always preparing for battle. I haven't been able to see this world properly either!"
For some reason, she also began to get excited. As for calling herself a Homunculus, it was mainly to get closer to Miss Firefly; her birth was somewhat different from a Homunculus.
However, born as a test subject with a theoretical lifespan of eighteen, Mash calling herself a Homunculus didn't seem to be a problem.
"I'm not a Homunculus, but in the past ten-plus years... I really haven't been to an amusement park," Fujimaru Ritsuka added. "How should I put it... this kind of bright, cheerful, rose-colored youth doesn't really seem to suit me, haha... I've never been asked out to an amusement park either..."
The more she spoke, the more her mood dipped. "My mom and dad were very busy. Although they didn't skimp on my allowance, they didn't have time to take me to play at the amusement park... It would be too weird to go alone. Haha, it's actually quite normal for a seventeen-year-old girl not to have been to an amusement park, right?"
"What's seventeen years?" Xia Yu smiled and patted her shoulder. "I'm much older than you, and I haven't been either. Besides, isn't it right here in front of us?"
"Senpai!" Mash also grabbed her hand, her eyes full of expectation. "Let's go together!"
"Mhm." Fujimaru Ritsuka grabbed Xia Yu with her left hand and linked arms with Mash on her right. "Let's go. Today, we must experience a bright, positive, rose-colored youth!"
"The pirate ship! The haunted house! Bumper cars! The carousel! The Ferris Wheel! And the most essential—the roller coaster!"
"Here we come!"
"Blegh—"
Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was making grand declarations not long ago, fell silent after getting off the roller coaster.
After suffering for a long time, she finally lifted her head dizzily. "Was the roller coaster always this intense?"
"Tragic news," Xia Yu said with great interest. "The Savior of Chaldea has been taken down by an ordinary roller coaster!"
"Senpai hasn't been taken down!" Mash instinctively countered. "She's very strong!"
"I say, why are you two still so energetic?" Fujimaru Ritsuka grabbed Xia Yu's hand, barely supporting herself. "We went up together, didn't we?"
"Accept the fact that you're a weakling Master, Ritsuka," Xia Yu said, pointing a pitying finger at Mash. "This one, a Demi-Servant, has physical stats that can run circles around you."
Then she pointed to herself. "And me, a Glamoth veteran. The time I spent in aerial dogfights might be longer than you've been alive."
"It's just a tiny roller coaster. Did you expect it to be a thrill for us?" Xia Yu curled her lip. "To me, this speed wasn't even as exciting as the bumper cars just now. At least in the bumper cars, I could actually drive into you."
"I'm truly sorry for being such a weakling," Fujimaru Ritsuka rolled her eyes. "I was fine on the pirate ship. It wasn't even this bad when I was killing my way through the seas with Drake..."
"Senpai is not a weakling!" Mash expressed strong opposition. "Senpai is just... just not used to it for a moment!"
"So, to help her get used to it," the corners of Xia Yu's mouth turned up slightly, "how about we experience it again? What do you think?"
"There's no need for that!" Fujimaru Ritsuka somehow found the strength to snap into a standing position. "Let's go, next item! I don't believe anything can go wrong with the Ferris Wheel!"
"The Ferris Wheel..." Mash seemingly thought of something. Her small face turned red instantly, and she quickly lowered her head.
A few seconds later, she looked up only to find Miss Firefly staring at her intently...
Instantly, her face turned even redder.
"You're so cute, Mash," Xia Yu said with a smile.