Morning,
2nd day of the Holy Grail War
"Are you going to School?" Archer asked as he followed Rin on the sidewalk in his invisible state. "You can't be serious…"
"What did you find last night?" Rin answered with a question.
"Tch!" Archer tsked in frustration. "There was nothing left to find… But I pretty much confirmed one matter. Your priest wasn't lying about the Evil. It was thick there… the corruption. And there were signs of an immense battle as well."
"Then the Ruler-Class Servant must be chasing The Shadow and the Lich," Rin observed, changing lanes. "Let's leave the matter of the All Evil to him for now, then."
"All the more reason to prepare for surprise attacks, Rin," Archer told her. "A school doesn't offer a good platform to prepare for them… Are you sure?"
Rin nodded. "We Masters don't like fighting in public, you see," she replied. "With the All Evil out of the picture because of the Ruler, I hope, we only have other Masters to worry about… Also, speaking of surprise attacks, did Assassin return last night?"
Rin had sent Assassin to infiltrate the Einzbern Castle, where Black Von Einzbern held her sister — Sakura Matou.
However, he also held two Servants, like her — Berserker and Caster!
And Caster had covered the entire Castle under several layers of Bounded Field.
Rin regretted not being on the battlefield two days ago, which had resulted in the end of the Matou Family and the Holy Grail's Corruption manifesting through the other Sakura.
Now, perhaps to compensate for those regretful feelings, she had sent Assassin to take a measure of the enemy's strength, prioritizing Sakura's retrieval.
"No," Archer answered. "Even if old geezer's abilities lie in penetrating Bounded Fields, deceiving a Caster's magic wouldn't be so easy."
Rin hummed in agreement. She stared at her left gloved hand, feeling the connection she had with Assassin through the Command Spells.
"Let's just hope," Rin said, reaching the school, "he returns safe. Anyway, no need to worry about any surprise attacks at school."
"Still, there's an exception to everything, Rin," Archer said as Rin entered the school. "What if there's an unknown Master and Servant…"
Suddenly, just as Rin thought of a reply, a heavy, nauseating feeling blasted her soul, jolting her magic circuits.
Beads of sweat dripped down her chin as Rin ground her teeth, her brows furrowing to the extreme.
"Rin…" Archer's words woke her up. "Not here…"
Many students were watching her oddly, Rin realized. So, with large, heavy steps, she entered the main building and found a secluded corner before taking deep breaths.
"That was more than just stale air!" Rin hissed. "It was a Bounded Field, wasn't it?!"
"Not fully," Archer said, agreeing with her. "It felt more like a half-completed work. Anyone acting so boldly must be a force to reckon with, or…"
"… Or a complete novice!" Rin said, finishing Archer's guess. "Any incomplete Bounded Field that can be detected by others is a third-rate work at best. A true mage would never let it happen, until the very last moment before striking…"
"Oh?" Archer hummed in amusement. "So, what's your plan, Master?"
"It doesn't matter what kind of mage it is," Rin said, grinning. "This is my territory. I won't tolerate any garbage strewn around here. Let's examine the entire School later. After finding out its nature, we will decide what to do with this Bounded Field."
Suddenly, steps rang out on the stairs behind them.
Rin spun around, raising her hand to stop Archer from acting out. But when she saw who it was, her eyes popped out in disbelief.
It was Shirou Emiya!
"Archer, do you sense…" Rin asked mentally.
"No," Archer answered. "He's alone."
"Have you gone insane?!" Rin snapped, marching up the stairs.
Shirou, who was half lost in his own thoughts, was taken aback by Rin's sudden appearance and question, making him stumble up a step. "… Rin?"
"Don't you dare Rin me!" Rin snapped. "What are you doing at School in this state without your Servant?! Tell me!"
"… Servant?!" Shirou's pupils widened. "You … know about Servants?"
Rin almost facepalmed. She took off her right-hand glove and showed him Archer's Command Spells.
Shirou's heart skipped a beat. Just yesterday, the priest had warned him not to encounter a Master without his Servant by his side. Because such an encounter would definitely lead to his death.
Even though the priest had told him many things related to the Holy Grail War, including the involvement of his foster father Emiya in the previous War, Shirou found it difficult to face the reality.
The disaster from the fourth Holy Grail War ten years ago, which had orphaned him, was still fresh in his mind.
Then, two days ago, he had failed to save Sakura as well.
Now, he was being forced to participate in a war that he couldn't even understand fully. Was he truly supposed to use Saber to kill other Masters and Servants? How could someone expect him to do that?
Yet, from what he had seen happening at the Matou Mansion, it did seem the case.
People were killing people as if lives didn't mean anything anymore.
And just as these thoughts were drowning him, Rin… of all, declared herself a Master as well.
No… Shirou stared at the Command Spell. Why her?
"I don't want to fight you," Shirou said, taking a deep breath.
He remembered Saber's words this morning. If he met another Master, he was supposed to call her using a Command Spell. But… he had never thought that this Master would be Rin Tohsaka.
On the other hand, seeing Shirou's confused expression, Rin let out an exasperated sigh.
"Go home as early as you can," Rin said, stepping up and passing him by. "I will visit your home in the evening, and then we will talk."
Talk? Shirou felt confused. "You — don't want to kill me?"
Seriously… Rin's brows twitched. Why did it need to be him?! Tch!
"Not today," Rin said, smiling. "I am busy with something else. So… count yourself lucky… Shirou Emiya."
And, just as Rin went away, leaving Shirou rooted at his place, a small, filthy insect recorded the events from a window…
… holding a Video Camera on its back.
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