"What do you mean Sakura is missing!"
Tohsaka Rin held a short sword made of brilliantly flowing Gems in one hand, and grabbed Emiya Shirou's collar with the other, lifting him up. "You better give me a good explanation!"
"...After waking up this morning, I couldn't find Sakura anywhere," Emiya Shirou said, his mood entirely deflated.
When he woke up this morning, the person from last night was no longer by his side. She had cleaned everything up, leaving not a single trace of her presence in the entire room.
"Hah?" Tohsaka Rin instantly flared up upon hearing this. "I handed my younger sister over to you, and this is how you..."
"Rin, it's not his fault."
Right at that moment, Medusa suddenly appeared among them.
"Sakura, she..." She looked across the estate. "She chose to go face her own destiny."
"You mean..." Tohsaka Rin instantly deflated upon hearing this.
"Yes, she is right across the street now," Rider said. "She chose to go there herself."
"Why..." Hearing this, Tohsaka Rin powerlessly let go of Emiya Shirou.
"Then what about you, Rider?" At that moment, Archer suddenly asked, "Why didn't you go over? Isn't Sakura your Master?"
"She... told me to leave her alone," Rider lowered her head and said. "But... but... how could I just leave her alone?"
"Therefore, I will stand by your side and join you in subjugating that person."
"Tonight, in the Great Hollow beneath Mount Enzou. That person said she would be waiting for us there."
"Mount Enzou..." Hearing this, Tohsaka Rin tightened her grip on the Jeweled Sword Zelretch in her hand, her gaze firm.
Wait for me, Sakura. This time, I won't leave you alone!
Meanwhile, Emiya Shirou silently went to start cooking. If they were going to fight, they couldn't do it on an empty stomach.
"Then, let's make a simple battle plan first," Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke up. "Without a doubt, you and your Heroic Spirits cannot face Miss Matou Sakura. If you get controlled by the enemy, it's all over, especially Miss Saber!"
"So if Miss Matou Sakura is possessed by All the World's Evil when the time comes, leave it to Chaldea," she said, patting Mash on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Mash's Great Shield won't kill anyone!"
Yeah, right. But saying it out loud will at least give them some peace of mind.
"But when it comes down to it, the biggest problem remains," the Doctor's voice rang out from the communication device. "We have no way to extract Miss Matou Sakura from her state as the Lesser Grail."
"Even if we miraculously defeat that warrior from the future, how are we supposed to save her then?"
"I don't know," Tohsaka Rin fell silent for two seconds upon hearing this, then said, "I don't know how to save her, but I can't just watch her die like this."
"As an unqualified older sister, I have to show at least a little bit of sisterly responsibility."
"If that's the case, I might have some good news here," Da Vinci-chan sighed and said, "Judging by the Saint Graph, Miss Furina's Caster has the True Name of Medea, a figure from Aegir mythology."
"That witch? The Princess of Colchis?" Hearing this, Tohsaka Rin quickly recalled who this was.
"It's actually Miss Medea?" Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash exchanged a glance. They recalled the terror of being hunted down by Heracles in the Third Singularity.
"That figure... it's the adult Miss Medea," Mash exclaimed. "And she was wearing a hood, no wonder we couldn't recognize her."
"Yes, according to the Saint Graph records, Medea possesses a Noble Phantasm," Da Vinci-chan nodded and said, "Rule Breaker."
"The effect of this Noble Phantasm can be simply understood as severing all contracts; it is the ultimate anti-Magecraft Noble Phantasm."
Da Vinci-chan spread her hands. "To be honest, I can't be sure if this Noble Phantasm can sever Miss Matou Sakura's connection to the Holy Grail, but we don't have any other options, do we?"
"I'll give it a try." Hearing this, Tohsaka Rin and Emiya Shirou looked as if they had grasped a lifeline, their eyes filled with determination.
Sakura, wait for me!
Kohshuh Ensuikan Taishan.
"Boss, serve us three portions of Mapo Tofu," Xia Yu pushed the door open, bringing Illya and Matou Sakura inside, and started ordering. "Plus, I'll take every dish your restaurant can make with all the ingredients you have today!"
"Are you not planning on living past today, customer?" Hearing this, the petite proprietress blinked at her and asked.
"It's fine," Xia Yu patted Illya beside her. "Today's expenses will be paid by Miss Illyasviel von Einzbern!"
"No, I mean..." The proprietress hesitated to speak.
"Oh, that's what you meant," Xia Yu smiled upon hearing this. "It depends on the situation. If it succeeds, there will naturally be countless carefree days waiting for me. If it fails, then ashes to ashes, dust to dust."
"So today, we just need to eat to our heart's content."
"Hey, you," Illya placed her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at Xia Yu. "What do you mean I'm paying?"
"Hmm? If you, the Master, aren't paying, are you expecting me, a completely penniless Servant, to pay?" Xia Yu widened her eyes and looked at her.
"...Tsk," faced with her condemning gaze, Illya could only turn her head away, and then she saw the boiling red hell on a priest's table nearby.
"Say, Sister Firefly," Illya's body tensed up, and she couldn't help but take a step back. She grabbed the hem of Xia Yu's clothes, raised her head, and said with her large eyes blinking, "Mapo Tofu... could it be this..."
"That's right," Xia Yu gave her a thumbs-up.
Hearing this, Illya turned her head again to look at the scroll of hell on the dining table, her smile becoming strained.
"Sister Firefly," her voice became even sweeter. "There's a big battle tonight. I don't think we need to eat such stimulating food..."
"A big battle? Does it have anything to do with you?" Xia Yu asked in confusion. "Isn't it enough for Illya to just stand on the sidelines and be a mascot?"
"Besides, you've been calling me Berserker these past few days, right, Illya? Now, just to be a picky eater, you're even calling me sister?"
Hearing this, Matou Sakura and Illya exchanged a glance.
No, no, no, this has absolutely nothing to do with being a picky eater, right?
"Sister Firefly," Matou Sakura's voice was also trembling a bit. "Can I not eat it?"
"You..." Xia Yu glanced at her, pondered for a few seconds, shifted her gaze downward, and clapped her hands together. "Oh, I really didn't think this through. You are indeed not suited to eat this kind of thing right now."
"Boss, get her something lighter!"
"But customer," the petite proprietress peeked her head out from the kitchen. "The three portions are already being made."
"It's fine, I'll eat two portions," Xia Yu gave her a thumbs-up. "We're not canceling the order."
"Alright then, coming right up!"
Hearing this, Matou Sakura stiffened entirely.
What did Sister Firefly's look just now mean... It couldn't be...
"Hey, why does she get to not eat it?" Illya was highly dissatisfied.
"Children shouldn't ask about these things," Xia Yu told her with a smile.
No, that's exactly what it meant, right? Hearing this, Matou Sakura lowered her head shyly. Wait, how did Sister Firefly know...
And does it really affect anything?
Ultimately, arms can't out-wrestle thighs; Illya obediently sat down at the dining table.
And then she stared blankly at the scarlet hell in front of her.
"Hmm? Illya, why aren't you eating?" Xia Yu happily took a bite of the Mapo Tofu, experiencing its incredibly authentic taste, and asked, "Is it not to your liking?"
"This kind of thing... this kind of thing..." Illya's lips were trembling. "Is it really something Humans can eat?"
Just as she finished speaking, she noticed two death stares.
She looked up; one came from Firefly, and the other came from the older priest at the next table.
"Hey," operating on the thought that even if she couldn't afford to provoke a Servant, she could at least provoke him, she decisively turned her attack on the priest. "Tonight is the end, right? Aren't you Lancer's Master?"
"Heh, to think the Overseer of the Holy Grail War would personally step onto the field. No wonder there hasn't been any outside interference up until now. It turns out the safety fuse itself has betrayed us."
"Also, you actually dared to come here alone. Aren't you afraid we might eliminate a competitor first?"
Actually, she mainly wanted to say, "How dare you glare at me along with her," but she eventually chickened out and changed it to this.
As for how she knew the other party was Lancer's Master? Heh, she didn't go find Emiya Shirou just to play house.
That foolish little brother was way too easy to fool.
"It's no matter," Kotomine Kirei said very calmly. "This young lady won't let me exit the stage here."
"Oh, you're that certain?" Illya's gaze was full of malice.
"You should know, I'm the Master!"
"But you can't order her around, can you?" Kotomine Kirei said with utmost indifference. "She still has to duel with Lancer; she won't take action to eliminate a threat right here."
"You bastard!" Illya nearly flew into a rage upon hearing this, but forced to bow her head under someone else's roof. I'll endure this!
"Also, Miss Matou Sakura," Kotomine Kirei turned to look at Matou Sakura. "I can sense that you are nurturing a brand new existence."
"I want that thing to be born."
Very abruptly, Kotomine Kirei spoke such words.
"That curse, I am very curious about it," he looked at Sakura and said slowly. "Right now, it has not yet committed evil, nor has it committed good. Humans all start knowing nothing, and learn what is right."
"The beginning is zero, merely a simple existence. If we are to talk about responsibility, there is only the environment that nurtured that person, and the self that exists within."
"If a life wishes to hatch, then letting it break out of its shell is true love!"
"Hah? What the heck are you talking about?" Illya glared at him very unkindly upon hearing this.
"This is what it means to be Human," Kotomine Kirei said. "Villains will also act out of kindness on a whim, and saints will commit crimes on impulse. Such contradictions are what allow Humans to be Human."
"As long as one lives in this world, they will simultaneously nurture both good and evil."
"Perhaps in your eyes, it is inherently evil, coming into this world solely to bring war and strife to the land. But would it think so itself?"
A hint of fluctuation appeared in Kotomine Kirei's usually placid tone. "Right now, it is still unknown!"
"Will it detest its own evil? Or will it accept it calmly? It was prayed for by others to be this way, so if it no longer feels confused about its function, then it cannot be considered evil!"
"If it is born, it will presumably slaughter everyone as expected by others. When it is the only one left in the world, will it spare itself?"
"That is the one thing I wish to know!"
"You lunatic!" Illya understood his thoughts.
"Yes, I am a lunatic, to all of you," Kotomine Kirei admitted without hesitation.
"I envy you normal people. You can experience the life of a normal person. But I do not have such a luxury, so I want to know, I..."
"Alright, no one cares what you're thinking," Xia Yu interrupted him right there, speaking in a flat tone. "In light of your speech just now, I've decided not to let Illya pay for today's meal."
"You go pay the bill, or else die."
"Death... I cannot die here," Kotomine Kirei fell silent for two seconds upon hearing this, then said, "I understand."
Then he walked toward the counter.
Anyway, after today, either he would be dead or the world would be destroyed. He was originally someone who didn't care about money, and now he cared even less.
"A perfectly good meal, ruined by this baffling guy," Illya clicked her tongue, then looked at Matou Sakura beside her. "Hey, are you okay?"
"...I'm fine," hearing this, Matou Sakura smiled and looked at Xia Yu. "Sister Firefly promised me, right?"
"Mhm, I promised you. I'll give you a happy ending," Xia Yu nodded.
"Then what about me?" Hearing this, Illya felt as if she had been utterly betrayed. "I'm your Master!!!"
"Don't worry, what I desire is also The Third Magic," Xia Yu reached out and patted her head. "Once I get my hands on it, I'll give you a copy."
"What if you can't get it?" Illya asked subconsciously.
"Then your Einzbern family can just go prepare for the next Holy Grail War," Xia Yu spread her hands. "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in battle; please start over, young girl."
"Also, put that unlucky dress of yours away properly," she suddenly remembered something and said. "If I see you wearing it, then the Einzbern won't have a next round either."
"You can go join the Matou Family in the underworld for a revival match."
"Now, be good and eat," Xia Yu rubbed her head, amiably pushing the Mapo Tofu right in front of her.
"...Do I really have to eat it?" Illya said pitifully.
"Sigh, another one who doesn't know how to enjoy the finer things," Xia Yu shook her head and pulled the plate towards herself. "Boss, bring another light dish. Yes, no need to look, I'm eating three portions!"