"Can this really work?", Tohsaka Rin sighed, "Unknown Noble Phantasm, huh~ I just feel like it's not going to be anything good."
Shirou's expression was calm, "If you have any better ideas, you can say them."
Afraid that jumping high directly would make Rin and Red A think he was an idiot, Shirou claimed it was his unknown Noble Phantasm.
Tohsaka Rin didn't believe, what could he do?
Mentally prepared, she sighed again, "Let's hope everything goes well."
"I think so too," Red A remained silent. He stood behind Tohsaka Rin, secretly sizing up this boy who felt both unfamiliar and familiar.
'Too strange. Where did he get so many Noble Phantasms?'
'Why don't I have that golden glittering Noble Phantasm?'
"If it's about time, I should go," After finishing his tea, Shirou set down the teacup and stood up. He was a bit worried about Illya's situation.
"Wait," Tohsaka Rin called him, "About allies… actually, there's still one more."
She turned her head to the side awkwardly.
"Hm?"
Shirou stayed calm, but inwardly he already had a guess.
'If you ask who hasn't shown up yet, it can only be her, right?'
He met eyes with Red A and got confirmation.
'Sakura, huh!'
"I've already notified her, she'll be here soon," Tohsaka Rin had sent out a familiar. Estimating the time, it should be about now.
Shirou rubbed his chin and asked. "I've always been curious about you magi's habits. In this era where you can notify someone in one or two seconds by phone, why do you still send familiars?"
Not to mention it's slow, if another magus intercepted it, wouldn't the message be lost?
Tohsaka Rin was stunned for a moment, "Phone? What's that? A high-level familiar? Or a kind of magecraft?"
Shirou was silent.
Red A was silent.
"I see," Shirou lowered his head in thought, "Looks like I need to teach you how to use a phone."
The Einzbern castle had phones, Shirou had Sella buy them. Convenient for communication while shopping.
In the time that followed, Shirou explained phones to Tohsaka Rin, and even occasionally gave Red A a glance, 'What, you just sit around eating and doing nothing? You don't know how to use a phone?'
Red A's mouth twitched, 'What magus uses that kind of thing?'
'You're not even a magus!'
Red A was speechless. He really had no way to refute.
The key is… who would think about this kind of situation during the Holy Grail War?
Was his thinking this clear back then?
About three minutes later, Shirou asked, "Got it?"
"Well…", Tohsaka Rin scratched the corner of her mouth with her index finger, a bead of cold sweat appearing on her forehead as she looked upward.
Finally, under the gradually suspicious gazes of the two, she couldn't take it anymore. Her foot, wrapped in black stockings, stomped the floor hard. With a guilty conscience, she said, "Phones… phones are such simple things, do you even need to teach them? Give me some time and I can figure it out myself."
She just wanted to act tough for once, who knew...
"True," Shirou nodded approvingly, "If someone still can't figure it out after watching once, maybe they should get their brain checked."
"That kind of thing needs study?", Red A was even more poisonous, "Anyone who reaches adulthood and doesn't naturally learn how to use it, will be eliminated by society."
"Pff!!"
Tohsaka Rin looked like she was struck by a 100,000-volt shock, her body swaying.
Now she didn't dare admit she had no clue how to handle a machine with more than nine buttons.
"It's okay, there's still Sakura. Once Sakura gets here, have her try this black tech too.'
Tohsaka Rin comforted herself internally.
Until...
'She... already knows how to use it?', Tohsaka Rin held her head, looking in disbelief at Sakura, who was using the phone easily.
Really, just watching once and she got it, without any explanation.
'Why?'
She was heartbroken: 'Sakura, you traitor!'
Seeing her elder sister's almost defeated expression, Sakura hesitantly asked, "Is… is this something very hard?"
"Uh, of course not!", Tohsaka Rin puffed out her chest, clenched her fist by her mouth, lightly coughed twice, and pretended to be cool, "Sakura still has a long way to go, you need more practice, and get as skilled as me."
"Oh… oh! Got it, Onee-chan," Sakura looked confused.
'This thing with only about ten number buttons, how exactly do you practice to become proficient?'
'Maybe… to the level where you can dial with your eyes closed?'
Thinking she should practice well, Sakura turned her gaze to Shirou.
The three Servants were staring at each other. All on alert.
'It should be that kind of situation, right?'
'Then why...'
Shirou was calmly drinking tea.
Archer stood with arms crossed, ignoring the world outside the window.
And her own Servant, Rider, Medusa, stood quietly.
'Is this really how you fought a Holy Grail War?'
"Um…", After hesitating a while, Sakura decided to speak, "Excuse me, you are?"
Only Shirou was someone she didn't recognize here, so of course, her question was directed at him.
"Don't mind it."
'A cold voice. What is his class?'
"Call me Berserker, or Mad Warrior, either is fine."
"Berserker?", Sakura nodded reflexively, then realized it a moment later.
Her Yamato-nadeshiko face stiffened slightly.
'This Servant seems to be saying something outrageous.'
'Berserker, speaking this calmly?'
She opened her mouth, hesitating to speak, and finally said, "Can I call you… senpai?"
"..."
"Is that not okay? Sorry!", As soon as Sakura lowered her head, she was stopped by Shirou, "No, it's not that it's not okay. I'm just… surprised."
More than just surprised.
Even Red A, upon hearing that so familiar title, couldn't help showing a dazed expression.
Shirou didn't expect to hear a voice that usually only came from the TV.
He was just a little startled.
"Then, okay," Sakura intertwined her fingers and placed them over her full chest, smiling brightly, "Senpai."
"..."
"Senpai?", Sakura called again in confusion, her expression gradually turning disappointed.
"Ah, ah!", Shirou replied awkwardly, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward Tohsaka Rin, 'Hey hey! Aren't you gonna check what your sister is doing?'
'Huh? Tohsaka! What are you doing again?'
Shirou was dumbfounded.
He saw Tohsaka Rin standing in front of the phone, expression tense, sneaky, wildly pressing random buttons on the phone's keypad like she was afraid of being found out.
Then she looked up...
"..."
Click!
She hung up the phone without hesitation.
Tohsaka Rin said casually, "Phone's broken. I just fixed it."
Shirou was silent.
Question: How many levels of tsundere power does Tohsaka Rin have? Tsun aura level 3?
Regarding Sakura's situation, Shirou had quietly confirmed with Red A earlier.
He expressed the meaning very clearly. According to Rin, the Matou family had been wiped out by a mysterious person many years ago.
That was an event even earlier than the Fourth Holy Grail War.
So, Sakura was taken in by another family.
The reason she returned was because she was chosen by the Command Spell and wanted to help her sister, so she summoned a Servant.
She herself actually didn't want to fight.
Hearing this made Shirou feel inexplicably relieved.
If the Sakura from this world was miserable, unlike the happy Sakura from his world, he would be very uncomfortable.
Once that matter was mostly discussed.
Shirou looked up at the window.
The sky was turning faintly white.
Time was about up. He said goodbye to Rin and Sakura, preparing to leave.
Tohsaka Rin originally intended to come with him.
Her reasoning was: as an ally, it's proper to meet.
Shirou thought about it and didn't refuse, just said "next time."
Why he did that, it wasn't for any particular reason.
According to Sella: If the land vein manager and head of Fuyuki (Rin) and a young lady from another family were coming over to negotiate cooperation, then the Einzbern family must show proper etiquette in return.
It's that simple.
When leaving the Emiya residence, Shirou went to check on the deeply sleeping Fujimura Taiga. After saying goodbye to her as well, he turned and left.
———
At the same time, just as Shirou left the Emiya residence, at the Einzbern Castle on the outskirts of Fuyuki City, destined to be a battlefield in the Holy Grail War.
Today's Servants in battle:
Einzbern Castle: Caster Medea, Lancer Cu Chulainn.
Enemy Servant: Archer Gilgamesh.
The battle was about to begin.
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