Training ended. Artoria sulked, throwing a small tantrum.
She wanted Shirou to continue, but he refused.
'Win and walk away? Can't you play fair?'
In response, Shirou could only feel helpless.
He roasted two sweet potatoes to coax her.
"Ahm~", The ahoge on her head swayed. Artoria squinted her eyes, whimpering happily.
Two sweet potatoes were enough to bribe the Ahoge King.
If the Knights of the Round Table saw this, who knew what they'd feel.
Ding~ Dong~
11 a.m.
A visitor arrived.
Shirou got up and opened the door, seeing a figure he did not expect at all.
"Who is it, Berserker?", Artoria poked her head out, one cheek puffed like a hamster, chewing nonstop.
In the next second, her eating paused, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Ayaka?"
"Saber," Outside the door, Sajyou Ayaka, dressed in a Western-style school uniform, pleated skirt, pure white short socks, and leather shoes, with a schoolbag on her back, brightened up upon seeing her.

"Ayaka, why did you come here?", Artoria stepped forward.
"I, um…", Sajyou Ayaka couldn't speak, sneaking a glance at Shirou.
'What a scary fierce uncle!'
'He must be ruthless.'
'Maybe he kills people without blinking!'
Young Sajyou Ayaka was born into a mage family and taught the worldview of magecraft by her father from a young age. Still, because of her inherently kind nature, she saw taking life as a terribly frightening act.
For example, even as an adult, when trying to kill a pigeon, not only did she fail, she even chopped off her own pinky.
Of course, that could also be considered a form of cowardice.
"Little girl, what are you doing here?", Since she didn't speak, Shirou asked.
But he forgot that right now, he wasn't the charming, max-charisma EX-rank Shirou, but a Berserker under Madness Enhancement and Absolute Rationality.
So not only did he fail to gain the child's affection, his cold tone even scared Sajyou Ayaka into taking a step back and shrinking her neck.
"Saber," She looked at Artoria pleadingly.
"Berserker," Artoria moved closer to give her a sense of safety, "don't be afraid, Ayaka, he's a good person."
"That's right, I'm a good person," Shirou nodded seriously, "Here, have a sweet potato."
Like a magician pulling a trick, a steaming hot sweet potato appeared in his hand out of nowhere.
Sajyou Ayaka: "..."
Too shocked, she retreated several steps in a row, hiding her small body behind Artoria.
'This uncle isn't just cold-blooded, he's a weird man who lures children with sweet potatoes!'
"Berserker!", Artoria's eyes widened, incredibly cute.
"That's my sweet potato!", At this moment, the Ahoge King was like a tokusatsu fan who'd saved frugally to buy a beloved transformation toy, only to have that toy given to a visiting child by their parents.
'Pain! So much pain!'
When she finished the first one, she couldn't bear to eat the second, planning to save it for later.
She never expected Shirou would pull it out now to coax a little girl.
Had she known, she would've eaten both.
Even her ahoge swayed with an unstable warning.
"Berserker," Artoria's grievance was palpable, even through the screen.
If she died on the spot, her strong resentment might turn her into a vengeful spirit bound to this place, waiting for a certain ally of justice to feed her sweet potatoes in exchange for peace.
"Don't want it?", Shirou ignored Artoria's food-guarding stare and pondered.
He concluded, only the Ahoge King would lose to food. He was joking.
The young Sajyou Ayaka ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of food. Under Artoria's soul-piercing gaze, she accepted the sweet potato.
And stated her purpose, "Onee-san hasn't come home for days, so I got a bit worried…"
Sajyou Ayaka hugged the sweet potato, "I asked her classmates and learned she hasn't gone to school in three days. The last time she went, she saw Fujimura-sensei with Saber."
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled while looking at Artoria, "But it's okay now, because Saber said she'd protect Onee-san, so…"
"Aya… ka, I…", The King of Knights was at a loss for words.
To a pure and kind child, an adult's betrayal is indescribably cruel.
The righteous King of Knights didn't even dare meet her eyes.
"You're… Sajyou Ayaka, right?", Shirou squatted down and looked at her calmly.
"Mm, mm!", Sajyou Ayaka nodded timidly.
"Can I call you Ayaka?"
"..."
No reply.
Scared? Of course she was.
No matter how dull, as an inexperienced mage apprentice, Sajyou Ayaka still knew, the next words wouldn't be something she could accept.
Or rather, they would deal a heavy, unspeakable blow to her young heart.
"Your sister is already dead. I killed her."
"Berserker!", Artoria wanted to say something, but Shirou stopped her with a look.
As Sajyou Ayaka stood frozen, afraid, unable to accept it, retreating step by step, Shirou closed in.
"As a mage family, you should understand the meaning of the Holy Grail War. That's right, I'm the one who defeated her. Saber is my spoils of war. So, if you must hate, hate me."
The boy's calm tone spoke of the cruelty of death, like a cold blade piercing Sajyou Ayaka's heart, freezing her blood.
Thud!
The sweet potato dropped to the ground, and she didn't even notice.
———
Sajyou Ayaka left this place, holding the sweet potato.
"Berserker," Artoria's tone held reproach, "Why did you do that?"
"In her eyes, Sajyou Ayaka probably saw her sister as an excellent person," Shirou withdrew his gaze.
Artoria waited for more.
But Shirou simply walked inside.
"Wait, Berserker," Artoria stopped him, emerald eyes wide, "That's it?"
"What more do you want?"
Shirou looked confused, "Don't tell me you think Manaka can still be saved?"
"I…", The King of Knights was speechless and angry.
He clearly knew, that's not what she wanted to hear.
"If we succeed, Manaka is doomed. If we fail, we can't afford the consequences."
Shirou said, "So rather than letting someone who admired her sister face a cruel reality, better to let her grow up with that memory. Compared to despair and fear, hatred can make people stronger."
"That should've been my job," That was what Artoria cared about.
It was her responsibility, how could she let someone else bear it?
The knight who wanted to be the villain got a glance from Shirou.
He knew, Artoria truly had the resolve.
But being the villain still suited him more.
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