Chapter 2 Skip a Turn?
"So, that's how it is."
After Shirou poured out everything he had personally experienced during the battle, Illya made an expression like a bunny whose burrow had been destroyed by a storm and was planning to dig a new one.
...No, Shirou knew describing it that way was a bit too subtle, but that truly was the look on her face. It was a face of resolve, her silver hair trembling slightly as it swayed in the breeze.
After pursing her lips for a few seconds, that expression vanished. Illya tilted her head and smiled:
"Thank you, Onii-chan."
Using that form of address here was a foul for the God-knows-how-many-th time. Moreover, Illya had no intention of stopping; she continued to show a brilliant smile, standing under the same roof as Shirou in a posture that forbade him from worrying.
It was clear what the two under the hotel porch were to do next.
"I'm relieved to see you're so energetic, Illya."
Shirou relaxed his troubled brows, his gaze shifting unconsciously to the outside, unsure of how to feel.
The moment his vision left Illya was her opportunity.
"Illya Flying Pounce!"
The young "human missile" threw her soft body entirely at Shirou.
Whoosh—!
He spun three-and-a-half times before finally stabilizing his stance against the wall. Miss Illya surrendered her entire center of gravity to Shirou, hugging his waist tightly with a thump.
Because of this act—which seemed to knock all his worries away—Shirou regained his spirit and focused on patting Illya's head.
"Let's go back."
"Mhm~"
All they had to do next was return to the hotel in this mood. The only problem was that just as they were about to step into the stairwell, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
"Wait a second, Illya. I need to take this."
Avoiding the receptionist's stinging gaze—which looked at the two of them as if viewing a crime scene—Shirou ducked into the stairwell and pulled out his phone. He took a quick look at the number before answering.
"What is it, what is it?"
Illya peeked her head over curiously. Shirou, however, fell into a wordless stare. The caller ID read: Miss Luvia.
.
.
.
Though it might be late to mention it, there was actually a situation that defied common sense.
Less than eight hours had passed since the battle with the strongest Heroic Spirit. One could even say that after a near-death experience, Shirou's sleep time had been less than seven hours.
'Why on earth is that guy so impatient to go out for air so early in the morning?'
Thinking of this, Rin sighed dejectedly. Her hands, which were busy typing on a keyboard, paused.
The pinned post on the forum displayed on her laptop was titled: "Bizarre Giant Crater from Explosion Appears in the Snowfield Desert."
'Bizarre? Oh, real bizarre. Isn't that just the shockwave created by Enkidu and Ea?
What use is this information we already know!?'
In the time spent on this, one might as well wonder why two things as incompatible as "Rin" and "computers" were appearing together.
After all, a girl in love is invincible; she can even overcome her weaknesses.
Rin secretly wanted to be praised for this effort.
"Ugh..."
Rin scratched her hair, slapped the table in frustration, and gave up.
The reason she was still searching for information was simple. Because she had rushed back upon hearing of Shirou's condition, she hadn't even had time to figure out a way to exchange contact info with Flat, who didn't have a phone to begin with.
The lead they had finally found on the Holy Grail War was broken again. Currently, this "extra" group had almost no way to proceed with their understanding of this fake war. To use a strategy game metaphor: Moves available: 0.
Meaning, they had no choice but to hunker down in the hotel.
To change the mood, Rin spoke to Saber nearby: "Saber, was it really okay to let Illya go down to chase after Shirou?"
"What do you mean?"
Saber asked back with a clear gaze, prompting Rin to stir the pot excitedly:
"I feel like if those two are alone, Illya will take the initiative to be all over him."
Actually, some mysterious radar was going off. It was as if her mental image of "Little Illya" was protesting: Don't talk about me like I'm some home-wrecker!
"You mean... like she usually is?"
"..."
Rin was stumped. "You can stand it?"
"I shall never yield. Such behavior that tears up the agreement is a betrayal of chivalry."
"...No, you don't have to make it that serious. So you really can't stand it, then?"
"However, this time is an exception."
After a moment's hesitation, Saber brought it up herself: "Rin, we can both see that she has something on her mind."
"Well... I can't disagree with that."
So, upholding her chivalry, she would pretend not to see it—just this once. Saber's generous attitude befitted the King of Knights.
It would have been better if her eyes didn't look like those of a predator ready for revenge at any moment.
Also in the room, Rider silently pulled a blanket over the sleeping Sakura. Whenever topics of "intimacy" came up, she would fall silent with a drifting gaze, never proactively participating in the critique. Rin had no idea what she was thinking.
'Honestly, what is going on with the Emiya household?'
Rin stared blankly at the ceiling. Logically, since there were "no moves available," the only option was to "skip a turn."
However, she completely ignored the fact that the people of the Emiya household don't exactly follow logic.
Shirou shoved the door open in a hurry, bringing an embarrassed-looking Illya in with him.
The Ally of Justice spoke as soon as he entered: "Sorry, I just found the address of the Kuruoka residence. Can I head over there?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, I've found the residence of one of the Masters in this Holy Grail War. I want to go investigate."
'What the hell? What kind of efficiency is this?'
Most importantly:
"Is there a screw loose in your head? You suffered a life-threatening crisis just a few hours ago, and now you're rushing back into a dangerous place!?"
The man didn't avert his eyes, analyzing the situation for Rin seriously:
"It's precisely because I want to settle this as quickly as possible that I must go. The Holy Grail War only lasts a few days; there isn't much time to hesitate. If that monster Heroic Spirit falls during this time and the mud in him flows into the Grail, it'll be too late. If we want to rest, it won't be too late after we investigate this one time."
Rin couldn't argue. He was speaking a logic so sound that no counterarguments came to mind.
Rin had seen the state of a Holy Grail corrupted by black mud, and so had Shirou. Therefore, he was acting on pure instinct.
"So I need to go over there. ——If no one else can move, I was thinking I might go take a look from a distance—"
"Shirou?"
Before Shirou could finish, he froze under the pressure before him. A mysterious aura successfully made him swallow his words.
The Red Devil stood there with a menacing smile, giving Saber a look. Saber stood up from her seat and walked toward Shirou:
"I shall handle the escort. Not even Shirou shall make me yield on this."
Then the Red Devil turned to Rider:
"Rider, protect Sakura. I'll go with Shirou."
"Understood."
Rin joined the line between Shirou and Saber quite naturally, as if they had been together all along. She seemed to have zero tension, like they were going on a picnic date. After all, few Servants could withstand the combination of the wielder of the Holy Sword and the Faker. Especially if you added Rin, the wielder of the Jewel Sword.
However, regarding this calculated move... Shirou couldn't help but give an embarrassed, bitter smile at the plan he hadn't yet voiced and hadn't quite figured out how to voice:
"Rin, if possible, can I ask one more thing of you? I am most sincerely begging the great you, under the eyes of the Buddha."
"Eh?"
Rin's face instantly turned bright red.
"Please let the most mature and reliable magus among us—ten times the person I, a mere novice, could be—stay in this area to investigate the Ley Lines."
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting