The silver-haired beauty who called herself Merlin's sister, Lady Avalon, grabbed the boy's arm and shook him in a panic.
"I'm Merlin's sister, you know! I'm from Paradise too, a genius Magus no less talented than my brother! Be a bit more honest—show some excitement, Master!"
Shirou's lips twitched. "No… even if you say that, Merlin is obviously incredible, but his sister… isn't she just an outsider with nothing to do with Camelot?"
Lady Avalon bit her lip, eyes shimmering as she wiped away her tears. "Ugh… I can't argue with that…"
"Well, you've already been summoned, so there's nothing we can do. It's not like we can return you."
Shirou stood up and stretched. "Let's turn in early today and figure out a plan tomorrow. I'll go prepare a guest room for you."
But the female Magus remained seated, making no move to stand. "Returning me is possible."
Shirou's heart instantly leapt with joy. Something that good actually exists!?
The silver-haired beauty dropped her earlier playful attitude, her expression turning serious.
"I want Master to agree to a few things. If you can't accept my conditions and form an agreement with me, I'll return to the Throne of Heroes right now."
"?"
Shirou turned back in surprise.
The atmosphere around her had completely changed, making it clear she wasn't joking with her Master.
He silently returned to his seat.
"Go ahead."
"First, in this Holy Grail War, I will neither appear in person nor fight on the front lines."
"What do you mean?"
"Spirit Form… Master has heard of it, right?"
Shirou nodded, and Lady Avalon continued.
"That means I will remain in Spirit Form throughout the ritual. I won't appear before anyone except my Master, nor will I engage enemy Servants in battle.
Of course, I won't just do nothing. I'll support you from the sidelines and do everything I can as a support unit… without revealing myself."
Shirou stared at her, stunned. "You're saying I have to fight the enemy Servants?"
Even if he was a qualified Magus capable of summoning a Servant, Shirou Amamiya was still physically just a child.
Sending an eight-year-old to the battlefield to face legendary heroes… what was Merlin's sister thinking?
"Is this because of your Class ability?" Shirou asked.
"That's right. I specialize in covert support… but that's not the main reason."
The silver-haired beauty narrowed one eye, her expression turning teasingly alluring.
"Because, Master, you're far more suited for the front lines than for staying in the rear."
Shirou: "..."
"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can to keep Master safe and handle whatever I'm able to."
Shirou looked straight into her eyes. "Can I trust you?"
Lady Avalon nodded. "Please trust me."
"Alright. Then it's settled."
A bright, flower-like smile bloomed across her face. "Good. Now, the second point."
Shirou frowned. "There's more?"
The female Magus grew serious. "Rather, this is the important part. I need Master to promise—absolutely—that you won't reveal any information about me to anyone.
My True Name, Class, abilities, origin, and my relationship with my brother…
None of it is to be disclosed. Can you do that?"
"If I can't, you'll return to the Throne of Heroes, right?"
Lady Avalon paused, then nodded firmly.
"Understood. I agree."
Shirou accepted without hesitation. Compared to the first condition, this one wasn't that harsh.
If anything, even without her asking, he wouldn't have brought it up anyway.
Everyone, look over here! I've got an announcement! I, Shirou Amamiya, just summoned some random Servant off the street!
Yeah, no thanks.
Lady Avalon clapped happily. "Great! I knew you'd agree~
Then, for the time being, I look forward to working with you, my cute little Master~"
Shirou: "You're finished?"
Lady Avalon: "Mm, finished."
Shirou: "Then it's my turn."
Lady Avalon: "Huh?"
The red-haired boy spoke as if it were only natural.
"You can't be the only one setting conditions."
Lady Avalon looked at him strangely. "...Go ahead."
Shirou said:
"While you're in Spirit Form, no matter what I do, you're not allowed to interfere."
"Of course, if you want to criticize or pick at me, go ahead. But I'll stick to my policy of ignoring you completely and doing whatever I want."
"…Uh."
Lady Avalon parted her soft pink lips slightly, clearly not expecting Shirou to say something like that.
"What? Can't you accept it?" Shirou pressed.
The female Magus, who had been composed since her arrival, was visibly shaken.
"No, that's not it… but my value as a Servant lies in advising Master and helping devise strategies…"
"When you're materialized like this, discussion is always welcome. But while you're in Spirit Form, I won't accept any advice from you, big sister."
Lady Avalon stared at him in astonishment. "And if I refuse…?"
Shirou replied casually, "Then I'll have to ask you to return to the Throne of Heroes. Right now. Immediately."
"…Mm."
Her beautiful face turned pale in an instant.
After a few seconds, she bit her lip and slowly lowered her head.
"…I agree, Master."
Satisfied, Shirou reached out and shook her hand.
"Looking forward to working with you, Avalon-nee-san."
And just like that, Shirou and the silver-haired beauty calling herself Lady Avalon formed a verbal agreement.
Thus was born what might be the most dysfunctional Master-Servant pair in history.
...
...
The next morning.
Shirou woke up feeling completely refreshed.
It was probably the most comfortable night he'd had since getting used to a Japanese-style routine.
Training familiars, setting up barriers, performing summoning rituals—recently, all of it had left him constantly drained of Mana. But after last night's sleep, everything had been fully restored.
"Did my abilities as a Magus improve? Alright~ I'll give it my all starting today!"
With light steps, Shirou walked into the living room.
"Ah, Master, good morning~ Did you sleep well?"
A clear, melodious voice greeted him.
Lady Avalon sat neatly at the dining table, smiling brightly in his direction.
Shirou: "What happened to staying in Spirit Form?"
At that moment, another voice came from behind him.
"Ahh, so sleepy… Morning, Shirou."
Shirou's eyes widened instantly.
This is bad! Fuji-nee's here—she's going to see her!
Without thinking, he rushed forward and tackled Lady Avalon, pinning her down.
"Hurry up and go into Spirit Form!"
"…Shirou, what are you doing?"
Taiga Fujimura blinked in confusion.
"Why are you rolling around over there by yourself?"
"Huh?"
Shirou looked down at the silver-haired woman beneath him.
Lady Avalon hadn't entered Spirit Form at all, yet Fuji-nee seemed completely unable to see her.
"Hehe, Master is quite full of energy, isn't he? Attacking me first thing in the morning?"
Lady Avalon covered her mouth and giggled.
"?"
Only then did Shirou realize something felt very off about the position he was in…
...
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