The two disappeared around the corner together, and Ritsuka stood in the pavilion watching them go.
Away from the danger, she reached up to wipe away her cold sweat. The value on the crystal dice also paused, at around 14%, which was already a fairly high number.
You had to know that for just 'Emiya Shirou', she had spent five years to increase it by 8%, and only then did it break through to 30% because of a certain turning point.
Yet now, just by staring at a little girl, the synchronization value for 'Alcides' had advanced by leaps and bounds. This was truly an unexpected situation, though that moment just now was also very dangerous.
"Wait, could it be... Alcides is a lolicon?"
Scratching her head, Ritsuka began to talk nonsense.
It probably had nothing to do with the loli; that much was certain. As for what it actually related to, she didn't really know, but she had a gut feeling.
That red-haired Little girl had an aura comparable to a top-tier predator, with a level far above her own. Perhaps it was that presence that had stimulated the 'Alcides' within the crystal dice.
Pinching the crystal dice between her index finger and thumb, Ritsuka narrowed her beautiful eyes.
At 14%, it had granted her two things.
A bow and an ability. It seemed she had reached a threshold, allowing her to obtain the power held by the existence known as Alcides.
However, because the value was still too low, the skill was somewhat useless, and she lacked the strength to even draw the bow.
Bravery (E): A skill that negates mental interference such as confusion and chaos, while also enhancing combat capabilities.
Since the rank was too low, the effects obviously wouldn't be very significant.
Something was better than nothing. Standing in the pavilion waiting for the sleet to let up, Ritsuka began to wonder: if she had the chance to stare at that Little girl for a long time, would it be possible to max out the synchronization value for 'Alcides'?
Though she might be seen as a pervert... The sleet gradually slowed down. Pulling the hood of her jacket over her head, Ritsuka dashed out of the abandoned park.
Calculating the time, it was almost time for Miyu to get out of school. They had agreed to buy books and study for the exams together today.
Even though she had skipped the afternoon classes, Ritsuka wasn't worried at all. As long as it wasn't Taiga's class, the teachers basically didn't care about the classroom; they wouldn't even notice if someone was missing.
Jogging all the way back, Ritsuka first rushed to her classroom where school had already ended to retrieve her belongings, then climbed over the wall to the neighboring section.
The elementary section had clearly finished for the day as well. Carrying her bag, Ritsuka took out her usual small blue umbrella and opened it.
"Sister?"
The voice sounded behind her. Once the umbrella opened, her field of vision was obstructed, but Miyu spotted Ritsuka immediately. The Pocky and biscuit sticks printed on the small blue umbrella were quite eye-catching.
This was the umbrella the convenience store owner had given her after Ritsuka bought an entire box of Pocky.
"Miyu, sorry to keep you waiting."
Ritsuka chuckled, lightly brushing her finger against Miyu's nose.
Miyu took a few steps to get under the blue umbrella and looked up at Ritsuka. "It wasn't long. I just came out myself."
With the blue umbrella covering her little sister, the two of them chatted as they walked toward the bookstore.
"Sister, I met another strange person today."
"She looked like a foreigner, about the same age as me, with twin tails. She came right up and called me'Sister'..."
Miyu began to complain about the strange occurrence today. Being suddenly called'Sister' by a girl of the same age was indeed bizarre.
Furthermore, the description of a foreigner reminded Ritsuka of the two Little girls she had seen in the afternoon.
A name suddenly flashed through Ritsuka's mind. "Erica..."
"Hmm?"
Miyu tilted her head, looking confusedly at Ritsuka who had whispered the name. She had just heard a person's name.
In response, Ritsuka just reached out and patted Miyu's head without saying anything.
It had been a while since the two of them walked together. As the two beautiful girls, one tall and one small, walked along the street, Miyu noticed the absence of the person who was usually with them and asked instinctively—
"Where is Sister Sakura?"
"Sakura? She took a leave of absence to go find Shinji, who skipped class. That guy is probably huddling in some arcade right now."
Snorting, Ritsuka vented her frustrations about Shinji to Miyu, once again lowering Miyu's opinion of him from'sister's classmate' toward 'random passerby'.
Turning the corner, the two of them headed in a direction away from the crowd. Only a few scattered figures remained on the street.
Before buying books, they had to stop by the convenience store to restock on snacks at home.
The only Pocky left was the single stick in the box in her pocket.
At the end of the street, Ritsuka paused slightly in front of the convenience store. Her eyes suddenly widened as she caught someone in her peripheral vision. She immediately looked up, and that head of seaweed-like hair was extremely conspicuous.
"...Shinji?"
The distance was a bit far; she could only see Shinji's mouth moving, seemingly saying something, but she couldn't hear him clearly.
There were four people over there, all of whom she had seen before: the two Little girls from the abandoned park, Matou Shinji, and Julian... Suddenly, Julian looked up and met her gaze.
———
At the end of the street, a magecraft that distracted others' attention was active. Four people stood there, with the two Little girls behind Julian.
Julian Einzbern.
Standing face-to-face with Julian was Matou Shinji, who had been missing since the morning. At this moment, Shinji was looking at the cards in his hand with a gloomy expression.
"Lord Julian, what are these?"
"class cards. These two are the Matou Family's tickets to this Holy Grail War."
His mouth curling, Shinji revealed a hair-raising smile.
Assassin and Archer.
The Holy Grail War was a massive ritual field, a ceremony created by the integration of the Tohsaka, Matou, and Einzbern families in pursuit of the Cauldron of Miracles.
With the Tohsaka destroyed and the Matou in decline, the Einzbern could be said to be indirectly controlling everything.
Only this family still persisted... class cards were Mystic Codes capable of containing the power of a Class servant. Commonly known as class cards, they were essentially servant cards that could connect to the power of a servant on the Throne of Heroes.
servants were degraded forms of Heroic Spirits after being categorized.
Heroic Spirits are existences that heroes, whose great deeds remained as legends after death and became objects of faith, turned into.
Not only historical records and myths, but even some ghost stories could sometimes form Heroic Spirits, provided there was enough faith.
Therefore, the existence of class cards could be described as quite miraculous. Harnessing legendary power with a human body—the fact that mere Displacement Thaumaturgy could achieve such an effect made one wonder if there were some other underlying reasons.
However, none of that mattered, at least not to Matou Shinji.
Whether it was the old man's prejudice regarding talent, leaving all the family's magecraft inheritance to Sakura, or other humiliations—with this, he could take back everything he had lost!
"Lord Julian, since you've brought out the class cards, does that mean the existence serving as the Holy Grail is already in place?"
"..."
Without a Holy Grail, the war revolving around it could not begin.
Julian narrowed his eyes, looking past the magical barrier toward the convenience store on the side of the street, his fingers tightening forcefully.
The figures of Ritsuka, holding a box of snacks, and Miyu beside her fell into Julian's sight, and then they suddenly locked eyes.
"Erica, is that it?"
The blonde Little girl peeked out from behind Julian, Miyu's reflection appearing in her large blue eyes.
"Although the properties have vanished, the status of the vessel remains."
An unusual magical energy flashed in her eyes. At that moment, the magical barrier shattered with a bang. That aura that made Ritsuka feel uneasy rose once again, and those demonic eyes stared intently at the two of them.
Across a significant distance, Ritsuka stepped in front of Miyu. This was a completely instinctive action.
It was something incomprehensible and unimaginable, like a deity existing only in myths; the mere moment of eye contact could strip away one's will.
A massive majesty enveloped Ritsuka, and her palm began to glow faintly.
The synchronization value for 'Alcides' began to rise again, and this time, progress was extremely rapid!