Fuyuki City.
On the upper floors of a skyscraper, Alvin stared blankly at the golden-haired girl in front of him.
His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
No wonder he was so shocked at this moment.
Manaka Sajyou...to be honest, he actually didn't know much about this girl.
But what he did know was this: she wasn't supposed to exist in this era's Fuyuki.
But now, the other party actually appeared in Fuyuki during the Fourth War... What does this mean?
"You want to ask why I'm here, don't you?"
As if reading his thoughts, Manaka smiled sweetly and said, "When my countdown to return home ended,
I didn't go back to my world. Instead, I ended up in this unfamiliar city. I'd really like to know why, too."
"To be honest, at first, I was scared… I wondered what I'd do if I couldn't go back."
"But then I noticed that the Greater Grail in this city seemed to have just started operating, so I tried to see if I could summon a Heroic Spirit.
Manaka clapped her hands lightly in front of her chest and tilted her head, smiling adorably. "Thankfully, it worked. Otherwise… I'd really be in trouble, wouldn't I?"
A countdown to return…?
So she "transmigrated" to Fuyuki?
But why was she the one who became his Master?
Hearing her explanation left Alvin feeling utterly helpless.
Before accepting the summoning, he had considered all sorts of possibilities.
Perhaps it would be Tokiomi Tohsaka.
Or maybe Kayneth… even Kiritsugu Emiya or someone from the Matou family.
But no—he had barely accepted the summoning when the Grail threw him a massive "surprise."
Manaka Sajyou.
In a way, she was indeed a perfect match for him.
Alvin required an immense supply of mana, and Manaka… well, she could provide it without even trying.
After all, born linked to the Root, Manaka had no shortage of mana.
Now that things had come to this, Alvin could only calm himself and ask, "Every Master joins the Holy Grail War with a wish. Do you have one too, Miss Sajyou?"
"That's not quite right, is it?"
"Huh?"
"I mean your way of addressing me wasn't quite right."
Manaka tapped her lips with her fingertip, her clear eyes sparkling with amusement. "You're my Servant, aren't you? Shouldn't you call me something else?"
Though she was small and delicate, when she looked up at Alvin, she did not lose her aura at all.
Instead, she radiated a natural, imperious aura, like a princess from an ancient age.
As Alvin froze for a moment, Manaka let out a soft laugh. "I'm teasing. But I'd prefer if you weren't so formal. Rather than Master and Servant, I'd rather we get along… like equals."
"So, if you don't mind… just call me Manaka."
In Japan, calling someone by name so directly implied a deep level of familiarity.
He and Sajo Aika had only met a few times, but the other party's behavior now seemed as if they had known each other for a long time.
Not that Alvin disliked it.
On the contrary, compared to gloomy types, a cheerful and straightforward personality was far more likable.
"Manaka, what's your wish for the Grail?" Alvin asked.
"Honestly, I haven't really thought about it."
Manaka tilted her head in thought before answering with a faintly puzzled tone.
Why would you join the Holy Grail War without a wish…?
Just as Alvin was about to sigh, Manaka paused and added, "If I had to say, maybe there is one."
"You know what 'omniscience and omnipotence' is, right?"
Alvin nodded lightly.
The ability to see everything before it happened—her every action came pre-spoiled by her power.
In other words, her entire life was nothing but foregone conclusions.
With such a Master, victory in the Holy Grail War was practically guaranteed.
Alvin was still mulling this over when he heard Manaka's quiet, almost lonely voice: "Because I know the ending of everything before it happens… my life has always been boring."
"Your wish… is to have the Grail seal your omniscience?" Alvin guessed.
Manaka shook her head with a gentle smile. "No. I just want to enjoy this Holy Grail War… with you."
For her, every person she met was immediately "read" from start to finish.
If romance was like reading a book, each person turned the pages slowly, discovering new things. But for Manaka, she had already read every line before the first page turned—there was no joy in it.
But Alvin… he was different.
He existed outside her omniscience.
"Actually," she said softly, her smile deepening, "if I do have a wish, it's probably just to help you fulfill yours."
Listening to her earnest words, Alvin couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Honestly, I don't really have one… I just came here to save my teacher."
Your teacher? That Clock Tower Lord, right? Manaka thought for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Then let's enjoy this Holy Grail War together, shall we?"
Then, as if remembering something very important, she grabbed Alvin's hand. "Come with me."
"Where?" Alvin asked, a little thrown.
At this moment, she could feel her mana flowing endlessly into him.
Although she possesses such enormous magical energy, the girl's body looks extremely small, as if she would fall down with a slight breeze.
"You'll see."
After saying that, without giving him a chance to argue, she pulled him through the lavish hall and toward the kitchen.
The dining table was already covered with steaming dishes.
"You made this… for me?"
Alvin couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
Well...he was indeed summoned as a Saber-class Servant, but he wasn't exactly a "foodie Saber" like Lily.
Besides…
"You made all this food… what if you'd summoned someone else instead of me?" Alvin couldn't help but ask.
"I'd just kill them and try summoning you again," Manaka replied casually. "No matter how small the odds, eventually it would work."
After all, with the White Dragon Scale as her relic, she wasn't about to fail forever.
It really did feel like a ten-pull without a gold result… so you just keep rolling.
So, everyone else came to participate in the Holy Grail War, and Manaka Sajyou came here to… gacha?
"Let's not talk about that. Come on, try my cooking first~"
Alvin was filled with the urge to complain, but at this moment, Manaka had already pulled him over to the dining table and sat him down.
As he picked up his chopsticks, she sat across from him, resting her chin on her delicate hands with a sweet smile on her face.
Her silky golden hair framed her pure, beautiful face, while beneath her skirt, her legs wrapped in white stockings swung idly above her small boots.
Alvin wasn't entirely sure what was going on in her mind, so he quietly ate, occasionally glancing at her. Well… she was pleasant enough to look at.
And then, suddenly, a line of deep-blue text appeared before his eyes.
[You have obtained "Root Princess CG +1". Collect all related CGs before the Holy Grail War ends to receive: Root Gift Pack]
Alvin froze.
In front of him sat a pure and beautiful girl, but at that moment, his attention was completely fixed on that floating line of text.
At the same time, a new CG image was etched into his system interface—depicting this very moment, him and Manaka dining together in the lavishly lit kitchen.
When Alvin saw this system reminder, his first reaction was confusion.
…Wait.
Was this mission asking him to conquer Manaka Sajyou?
In the past, he had indeed conquered many 'female protagonists' in simulation games, but when it came to conquering female protagonists in real life... he actually didn't have much experience.
Moreover, the requirements of this task weee a bit vague... Even the conditions for achieving the CG were not clear.
How was he supposed to collect them all?
"Is something wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Manaka's soft voice snapped him from his thoughts.
Maybe because he'd been staring at her for too long, she seemed… a little flustered? Her fingers nervously brushed her golden hair.
"Why do you keep staring at me?"
Without saying a word, Alvin used his fingertip to pick a single grain of rice from his own bowl. Then, leaning forward, he gently touched her tender and flawless cheek with that same finger, pointed at his fingertip, and smiled.
"There was a grain of rice at the corner of your mouth."
"…Oh."
"...I'm sorry for being so rude in front of a guest I just met."
As she spoke, she saw Alvin casually popping the grain of rice into his mouth, and her fingers twitched slightly against the hem of her white stockings.
Her cheeks, pale and delicate like porcelain, bloomed with faint pink as she shyly lowered her head.
Although she was the Princess of the Origin, she was still just a girl after all.
So, Manaka Saijyou was shy about this overly intimate gesture and quickly lowered her head with a blushing face.
[You have obtained "Root Princess CG +1"]
Another CG notification appeared in front of Alvin again and this one showed Manaka staring wide-eyed at Alvin as he casually ate that rice.
…So that's how it worked?
Even if the moment was trivial, as long as it could make the girl feel "joy," "embarrassment," or any other emotional reaction… it counted as a CG unlock?
Alvin stared at the girl in front of him, her flushed face and soft, downcast gaze, and thought:
From this point of view, this might not be as hard as I thought.
Collecting her CGs? Totally doable.
He collected his thoughts for a moment and suddenly said, "By the way… do you know who else is participating in this Holy Grail War?"
From the moment Manaka appeared, this Fourth War was already far removed from the "original timeline" he knew.
Although Alvin was confident, but not arrogant enough to dismiss every other Servant outright.
The last Servant who thought that way was Gilgamesh… and everyone knew how that turned out.
"Sorry, but I'm not really sure," Manaka replied softly.
She was obviously still immersed in the joy and shyness she had just experienced.
Her little face was slightly flushed, and she buried her head, not knowing what she was thinking about.
Alvin couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and said. "Wait… you don't know? Don't you have omniscience?"
"As long as I'm with you, my omniscience doesn't work," Manaka said lightly.
…What am I, a walking "anti-omniscience field"? Alvin thought, resisting the urge to laugh.
"You should have finished eating, right? Since you want to know who the Masters of this Holy Grail War are, why not do a little research."
There was a hint of anticipation in the girl's tone as she said, "It just so happens that I'm new here and still unfamiliar with the city of Fuyuki. We can take this opportunity to relax and unwind."
A "walk," huh?
It was the night before the Holy Grail War officially began.
Logically speaking, it would be the time when every other Master participating in the Holy Grail war, would hide in the shadows, laying traps and tightening their defenses.
However, rather than wanting to investigate who the Masters participating in the Holy Grail War were... it seemed more like she was going out on a date.
…Did her omniscience really stop working, or was she just making excuses? Alvin had his doubts.
But seeing the girl's expectant face and her eyes sparkling as she looked at him, Alvin finally did not expose her lie and nodded slightly.
He nodded lightly. "Alright… let's go for a walk."
…
Compared to Alvin and Manaka Sajyou's leisurely "date," in the Tohsaka household of Fuyuki, at this very moment, there was a man whose face was filled with solemnity and gravity.
"Teacher, the preparations for the Holy Grail War have been completed. We are now only waiting for your orders."
From an old phonograph, a deep and respectful male voice resounded within a secret room.
A well-dressed man with an elegant appearance and a neatly trimmed mustache sat in front of the phonograph.
Listening to his disciple's report, he lightly gave a small "Hmm."
Tohsaka Tokiomi—he was one of the participants in Fuyuki's Holy Grail War, one of the "Three Great Families" of the city, and the current head of the Tohsaka family.
The person currently speaking with him through the phonograph was none other than his disciple, Kotomine Kirei.
From the day he had transmigrated to Britain, Tohsaka Tokiomi had already resolved that he would only proceed with the summoning of a Servant once he was certain he could summon the White Dragon.
However, in the end, he had still failed, because he could not locate that "Night Watcher" within the Throne of Heroes.
In the end, he chose the contingency plan that he had prepared in advance.
Using the shed skin of the very first serpent in the world as a catalyst, he summoned a Servant… the ancient King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.
"In addition… just now, there have been signs in Fuyuki of suspected Servant and Master activity."
At this moment, Kotomine Kirei spoke again: "They went into a shopping mall. It seems they were purchasing supplies."
"Oh?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi's face revealed a trace of astonishment. "The night before the Holy Grail War… they're out shopping?"
Magus were generally beings who moved under the cover of darkness, and during an extraordinary event such as the Holy Grail War, one needed to be all the more cautious.
Just what were these two thinking…?
"Do we know their identities?"
Tohsaka Tokiomi quickly asked.
"Not yet. But it seems the Master participating in the Holy Grail War is a young girl… Shall I take action?" Kotomine Kirei asked.
The latter slowly shook his head. "Observe for now. It might be a trap."
He simply could not believe that anyone participating in the Holy Grail War could be this careless, openly appearing in the public eye like this…
Wasn't this just asking to be made into a target?
"Hmph, how amusing."
Just then, a cold and arrogant laugh suddenly echoed nearby.
Golden particles silently gathered not far from Tohsaka Tokiomi, and a man clad in golden armor, the King of Heroes, wordlessly materialized within the room.
Tohsaka Tokiomi immediately hung up the phonograph and placed his hand on his chest, bowing respectfully.
"My King, please wait a little longer. I will soon identify every Master and the Servants they have summoned. After that, I shall—"
"There's no need for such tediousness. Since there is already a Master and Servant boldly parading through the streets, that means they are declaring war upon this King."
"This King wishes to see for himself just which mongrel has the audacity to do such a thing…"
"My King—"
Before Tohsaka Tokiomi could even finish speaking, Gilgamesh had already turned and left the room.
Tohsaka Tokiomi's expression instantly became exceedingly grim.
He knew well what kind of Servant his backup plan, the "serpent's shed skin"—would summon, and he also knew that the King of Heroes' personality would inevitably be one of extreme arrogance.
But even so, he had never imagined that this Servant would be so utterly uncontrollable.
And now… before they even knew the enemy's identity, he had taken the initiative to go and provoke them.
Tohsaka Tokiomi drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"This is going to be troublesome…"