"Eek!!!"
Startled by the sudden tap on her shoulder from behind, the twin-tailed girl jumped back several steps until her back hit the wall.
"W-what are you doing, sneaking up on me like that?!"
Shirou frowned.
"I should be asking you that. What are you doing lurking around here?"
"I… I was…"
The girl hesitated, turning her face away.
Only then did Shirou get a proper look at her.
Though still young, she already had the makings of a beauty, but that wasn't what caught his attention.
Beneath her thick, glossy black bangs were a pair of striking eyes, clear and brilliant like sapphires, with an unmistakably exotic hue.
Not Japanese… or maybe mixed?
Shirou recalled the information he had received from Makiri.
She was Tokiomi Tohsaka's other daughter, Sakura's older sister, Rin Tohsaka.
"Are you here to see Sakura? You can come in and play."
"!"
Rin Tohsaka's eyes widened in surprise.
Though she looked flustered for a moment, she quickly regained her composure.
Crossing her arms over her flat chest, she lifted her chin and spoke in a slightly haughty tone.
"So… you're Shirou Amamiya, the one people have been talking about."
What people?
Shirou urged her again.
"Aren't you coming in?"
Her face flushed red.
"…There's no way I could go in!"
Sakura Matou was no longer Rin Tohsaka's little sister.
At this point, if her former sister suddenly showed up, it would only upset her and bring back painful memories.
"I don't get it. Why worry so much?"
"Ugh… I'm not as insensitive as you."
Rin Tohsaka brushed her hair aside and changed the subject.
"Shirou Amamiya, I heard about you from Father."
Shirou looked curious.
"Oh? What did Tokiomi Tohsaka say?"
He had confronted Tokiomi Tohsaka right in front of the Matou family before. He couldn't imagine the man having a good impression of him.
"He said you… forget it. I'm not telling you."
For some reason, Rin Tohsaka puffed out her cheeks slightly and shot him a defiant glare.
What a spirited girl. Even though they're sisters, she's nothing like Sakura, Shirou thought.
"Sakura… she's a good girl."
Rin Tohsaka lowered her head, staring at her round-toed leather shoes.
Shirou frowned.
"Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
Was she trying to say she wanted him to get along with Sakura?
That was unnecessary. He had already planned to do that without anyone asking.
"If you said that to her directly, she'd be happier."
Rin Tohsaka looked at him intently.
"I'm going. And don't tell anyone I was here."
She turned and walked away.
After a few steps, she suddenly stopped, turned back, and made a face at him.
"What was that about…"
Shirou muttered as he headed back into the mansion.
A few days later, he spotted Rin Tohsaka sneaking around nearby again, this time wearing a pair of extremely suspicious sunglasses.
Best to ignore her.
...
Night, at the Matou residence.
After finishing his homework, Shirou turned on the computer sitting on the desk in the guest room.
He had bought it not long ago using the pocket money Old Man Raiga had given him.
The reason he got into computers in the first place was because Shinji Matou had one in his room, something he had pestered his father into buying.
Shirou used to go over often to watch him play, and before long, he picked up how to use it himself.
He had a faint sense that Shinji had real talent when it came to computers, but for now, he kept that to himself after accepting hush money from Byakuya Matou.
"Sorry, Shinji. Just focus on your studies."
He powered up the computer, connected to the internet, and skillfully logged into a chat room.
Unlike Shinji Matou, Shirou was more interested in the internet itself than in computer games.
More specifically, he was interested in gathering information and communicating with others online.
Through a single cable, he could access books and materials from all over the world, or talk to people thousands of miles away, all without using any Mana at all. To Shirou, it felt both incredible and fascinating.
Although very few people had access to the internet at the moment, he believed that in the near future, this technology would completely change the way people lived.
[Nameless has entered the chat room.]
[Nameless: Good evening.]
[Yaobikuni: Ah, it's Nameless-san. Good evening~]
[Nameless: Is Yaobikuni-san the only one here tonight?]
[Yaobikuni: Looks like it, hehe.]
"Yaobikuni" was a friend Shirou had met online.
There were all kinds of strange people on the internet, but she was one of the few he genuinely got along with.
From the way she spoke, she seemed to be an adult woman. She was calm, knowledgeable, and extremely well-read.
Of course, Shirou couldn't be certain what she was really like.
After all, once online, the "Mystic Eyes of the End" were hard to make use of.
That was part of what made the internet so interesting to him.
[Yaobikuni: Speaking of which, Nameless-san, you log in at this time every day, don't you?]
[Yaobikuni: Let me guess, you're probably still in high school, right?]
"Sorry, wrong guess. I'm in elementary school."
Shirou typed on the keyboard.
[Nameless: It's not very polite to pry into someone's personal information, Yaobikuni-san.]
[Yaobikuni: That's a bit distant of you. I thought we were already close enough to talk about anything. Was that just me imagining things? (´･ω･`)]
[Nameless: Of course not. I also consider you an irreplaceable friend, Yaobikuni-san. But when it comes to personal details, I hope you'll understand that I can't share them.]
Was it foresight?
Or perhaps lessons learned from the Fairy Kingdom?
As early as 1993, Shirou was already careful about protecting his privacy online, easily ahead of his time.
[Yaobikuni: Since we're friends, couldn't you at least tell me a little? I'm really curious. (´･ω･`)]
[Nameless: Then let me ask you this instead, Yaobikuni-san. Would you be willing to share your personal information with me?]
He had barely sent the message when a reply came back in less than two seconds.
[Yaobikuni: No.]
[Nameless: That was fast!]
[Yaobikuni: Hehe.]
[Nameless: Even so, I've probably already figured out some things about you, Yaobikuni-san.]
[Yaobikuni: Eh, really? (＊´д｀)?]
[Yaobikuni: Come on, tell me, tell me. What did you figure out, Nameless-san?]
After thinking for a moment, Shirou typed out his answer.
[Nameless: I'm guessing you're a long-term patient staying at some kind of facility, right?]
Somewhere in Japan, deep in the mountains.
A girl named Kiara Sessyoin lowered her hands from the keyboard, a look of surprise appearing on her face.