Morning.
Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her eyes.
What greeted her wasn't the familiar ceiling of her own home, but an unfamiliar one.
"…What a shame."
She sighed softly in disappointment, resigned herself to reality, and got dressed before stepping out of the bedroom.
The moment she entered the living room, a faint fragrance drifted from the adjacent kitchen.
"You're awake. Perfect timing—breakfast is almost ready. Go wash up, then eat."
Roy poked his head out of the kitchen as soon as he heard her footsteps, greeting Utaha with a gentle smile.
He was dressed just as simply as the day before—plain, understated clothes, black-framed glasses perched on a straight nose, and that same faint, warm smile at the corner of his lips. His presence carried a softness, approachable and unassuming.
Utaha nodded lightly and went to wash up, though her heart carried a trace of embarrassment. She was supposed to be the Servant, and yet she had woken later than her Master… even letting him prepare breakfast for her.
"Master, is that girl your girlfriend?"
The voice of Okita Sōji echoed directly within Roy's mind.
"No. Why would you think that?"
"Well, it just feels like you treat her differently. When you talk to me, you're all cold and curt, but when you speak to her you sound so gentle… Ah, I'm definitely not jealous or anything like that!"
Okita's tone carried such obvious grievance that Roy could almost imagine her lips pursed in a pout.
"Saber."
"Yes?"
"When I summoned you, I didn't use a catalyst."
"Eh? You're bringing that up now? So that means…"
"Exactly. You were summoned purely through compatibility."
"…How bold of you, Master."
Roy's words made Okita give a mental gasp.
After all, the Throne of Heroes contained countless Heroic Spirits.
If one wanted to secure victory in a Holy Grail War, the surest way was to summon a powerful spirit. To do so, a catalyst was required—an artifact tied to that hero's legend: a weapon, a cloak, even a fragment of something once touched. With it, the summoner could pinpoint their chosen spirit with precision.
Only then could one be certain to call upon the desired Heroic Spirit, the kind capable of carrying them to victory.
But if no catalyst was used, then the Greater Grail would simply select whichever spirit had the strongest affinity with the summoner.
The problem was—no one could guarantee that such a spirit would be powerful. In fact, it might be as weak as a helpless chick. After all, the great heroes whose names blazed across human history were few and far between; the majority of spirits were minor, obscure, or outright weak, vastly outnumbering the legends.
And so, anyone who summoned without a catalyst usually earned only one kind of response:
"You seriously don't want to win, do you?"
A Servant chosen solely by affinity couldn't possibly stand against those carefully selected through catalysts, heroes renowned in history.
For most Masters, if victory was the goal, then securing a relic and summoning a famed Heroic Spirit was common sense.
"I care less about raw strength," Roy continued calmly, "and more about compatibility—the bond between Master and Servant. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Oh!"
"So my only request of you is this: be completely honest with me. Heart to heart."
"…I understand, Master!"
Joy lit Okita's voice, her tone brimming with excitement.
"To be honest, I wanted to work with someone like you! Very well—by the honor of the Shinsengumi, I, Okita Sōji, swear to meet you heart-to-heart! And if I break that oath, then… then let me be cut down mercilessly by all my comrades!"
Summoning by affinity…
It didn't just mean a Master could find a Servant suited to them. It also meant a Servant could gain a Master they could resonate with.
That bond promised shared topics, similar goals, even parallel experiences—making it far easier to establish trust than with a spirit bound solely through an artifact.
If one still failed to build a connection under such circumstances, then the fault lay squarely with the Master.
Satisfied with Roy's answer, Okita fell silent.
Seeing her finally settle down, Roy allowed himself a faint smile.
Yes—more than her strength, he truly valued their compatibility. On that point, he hadn't lied.
After finishing her wash, Utaha returned to the kitchen. As expected, breakfast was a simple Chinese-style meal: congee with side dishes. In Japan, congee was usually something eaten only when sick, but she was in no position to complain—not when she had already let her Master prepare the food.
And besides…
"…It's delicious."
Utaha admitted in her heart, surprised. To make plain congee taste this good required real skill.
Her mind flicked back to last night's dinner, and everything clicked into place.
Roy's cooking was excellent. At least when it came to authentic Chinese cuisine, his ability was unmatched—even better than most restaurants she'd been to. This wasn't something one could pick up in a few months; it had clearly been honed through years of practice.
"Does anyone else live here, Roy-sama?"
"There's a pair of sisters, but they're always wandering outside. No telling when they'll be back."
"Aren't there dangerous beasts roaming outside?"
"If they run into those two, the dangerous ones will be the beasts."
Utaha blinked—then realization dawned.
So the real strength of the Aozaki family lay with those wandering sisters.
Come to think of it, yesterday at the refugee shelter, that dark-skinned young man had seemed more concerned with Roy's relatives than with Roy himself. That explained a lot. Roy might be the youngest, but his unusual status came from being related to those powerful sisters.
Knock, knock!
Breakfast hadn't even been cleared when the front door resounded with a rhythmic knock.
The visitor's manner was refined—light taps, gentle enough not to annoy.
Seeing this, Utaha rose to clear the dishes.
Meanwhile, Roy went to the entrance and opened the gate.
"Good morning, Mr. Roy."
Standing outside was a striking young girl, her long, glossy black hair tied into twin tails with ribbons. She looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, wearing a vivid red coat that accentuated her elegant beauty. Her posture was poised, her expression serene—every gesture radiated refinement.
At the sight of Roy, she offered a flawless smile.
"Good morning, Mayor Tōsaka."
Roy greeted her with equal familiarity, as though her arrival was no surprise at all.
"And this is…?"
His eyes shifted to the girl standing behind Tōsaka.
There, dressed in the uniform of a maid, stood a blonde-haired girl whose beauty rivaled even her mistress. Her hair, the color of golden sand, was tied in a side ponytail that made her stand out even more. Yet the way she stood quietly behind Tōsaka, composed and deferential, muted her natural radiance—she carried herself like the very image of a devoted retainer.
"Mr. Roy, this is someone you're meeting for the first time—my chosen Servant."
Tōsaka Rin turned toward the blonde, giving her a subtle nod.
"Good morning, Lord Roy."
At her signal, the blonde maid stepped forward and bowed deeply, her posture flawless.
"My name is Hayasaka Ai. I am now in the service of Lady Rin."