Becoming the future head of the Tohsaka family, receiving the love of both parents, and even having her father personally prepare the White Dragon's catalyst for her, Tohsaka Rin had been born with all of it.
What Matou Sakura had, on the other hand, was only the care of an "uncle" with no blood relation.
"Do you want to see him?", Rin asked.
"Not for now. Let's wait until we're back home."
Sakura replied softly, "It's almost time for class. Since you've come, you should head to the classroom. Someone probably saw you earlier, and it wouldn't be good if it reached the teachers."
"And you?"
"No need to worry about me. I'm fine," Sakura answered.
The two sisters chatted for a while longer. Only after confirming repeatedly that her sister was truly alright did Rin stand up, say her goodbyes, and leave.
Once the infirmary door closed, Sakura lifted a slender finger and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The soft strands falling down added a touch of languid beauty.
"How did it feel, Rider?"
Inside the infirmary, a voluptuous and striking figure quietly appeared at Sakura's side.
The purple-haired beauty crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly as if gazing through her blindfold toward the direction Rin had left.
"That man… is very strong."
Rider said in a low voice, "It's my first time seeing an Assassin whose strength can rival the Three Knight Classes, no…"
She shook her head, "If it's purely a contest of raw power, his brute force might be even more terrifying than theirs."
Sakura lowered her gaze slightly and spoke gently, "After all, it's him. I'm not surprised at all."
"The White Dragon's power is extremely violent. Even in his Assassin state, he's still one of the strongest contenders in this Holy Grail War. If you really want the Grail, you'll need to find a way to deal with him first—"
Before Rider could finish, Sakura turned her head slightly and glanced at her.
"Rider… I was never interested in the Greater Grail to begin with."
That's right. From start to finish, what she truly wanted was never the Greater Grail, only to see that person again. Nothing more.
That was how it was supposed to be.
And yet, after learning that even with her catalyst switched, Rin had still managed to summon him, a strange, twisted feeling began to grow in Sakura's heart.
"If you really wanted to see him, why didn't you tell your sister just now?", Rider asked softly.
"His perception is too sharp. He might notice something unusual about me."
Sakura slowly lifted her head and let out a faint, sweet breath.
"At the very least, I need to completely digest the magical energy in my body before I can get close to him."
Ah… just thinking about how she still had to endure for quite some time made her want to indulge her desires. This feeling of restraint, it almost made her want to sink into it completely.
"You may leave, Rider."
The purple-haired woman lowered her head, turned, and dissolved into particles of light, disappearing into the air.
The infirmary returned to its usual quiet.
Yet within that silence, there seemed to linger a faint, ambiguous breath escaping from the girl's lips.
Sakura's cheeks flushed hot. Her pale fingers slipped beneath the blanket, and at some point her body trembled slightly. A moist sheen quickly filled her beautiful eyes.
———
Before they knew it, the day's classes had come to an end.
By evening, the sky was still overcast.
Rin was walking home, "How did it feel, Assassin? Did you sense any other magi nearby at the time?"
Alvin's figure appeared soundlessly at her side. He shook his head, "At the time, Rider was the only one on the rooftop. There were no traces of any other magus using mana either."
"However, Rider's Master should be in your school."
If he had to name a suspect, there was one person who stood out the most. But Alvin had no proof, and it wasn't something he could say in front of Rin.
After all, that girl was Rin's own younger sister.
Rin lowered her gaze, "Then we'll investigate slowly."
As they talked, the sound of wind and snow accompanied them all the way toward the Tohsaka residence.
There was hardly anyone on the road.
At that moment, Alvin suddenly seemed to sense something. His expression changed slightly as he pulled Rin behind him.
"Rin, wait!"
"What is it..."
Before she could finish, Rin seemed to sense something as well and instinctively looked ahead.
Amid the falling snow, a small figure was walking toward them from the distance.
Her hands were clasped behind her back. A sweet smile hung on her cute face, and her pale skin carried a crystalline beauty in the icy surroundings.
Rin narrowed her eyes, staring at the silver-haired girl ahead.
"Quite the rare guest. I didn't expect to see you even before the Holy Grail War begins."
"Illya."
Snowflakes carried Fuyuki's distinct metallic scent, weaving a dense net beneath the leaden sky.
Rin's cashmere scarf brushed against frost-coated branches, while behind her, the snow suddenly caved in, forming the outline of a human figure.
That was the trace left by Alvin's spirit form.
Illya rose onto her toes, her pink nails grazing a snow-covered branch. Ice crystals gathered at the tips of her silver hair, forming a tiny crown.
"Rin's body warmth, I can feel it even from several streets away."
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, and her porcelain-like face carried a bright, lively smile.
"The knight hiding in the shadows, he should be by your side right now, shouldn't he?"
After speaking, Illya quietly observed Rin's side, as if searching for something.
Rin narrowed her eyes, unconsciously positioning herself in front of Alvin, even though he hadn't manifested.
"Miss Illya, putting aside whether he's with me or not, you should know this is the eve of the Holy Grail War, right?"
"I know."
Illya nodded matter-of-factly.
"As an enemy Master, showing up in front of another Master before the war begins and openly asking to see my Servant, don't you think there's something wrong with that?"
Illya looked Rin over again, thoughtful, "I see. You do have a point."
"After all, I'm also one of the Masters participating in the Holy Grail War. It's not very appropriate to go out of my way to meet an enemy's Servant."
Illya lightly kicked at the snow with her foot, "In that case, I'll just use the methods of the Holy Grail War to fulfill my wish."
Rin froze slightly.
A strand of silver thread suddenly tightened at Illya's fingertips. Seven mithril night owls tore through the curtain of snow, soaring into the sky before diving toward Rin.
"Who just starts attacking out of nowhere? She really hasn't changed at all."
Rin snapped in annoyance. Magic circuits reflected in her pupils as three red gemstones formed a crimson shield in her palm.
The moment ice and flame collided, the snow on the ground seemed to melt slightly.
"Your reactions are pretty sharp…"
A faint smile curved Illya's lips, "But what if I add these, can you still dodge?"
As soon as she finished speaking, several more mithril night owls behind her let out sharp cries. Formed from special "silver threads," they surged with dense magical energy. Silver light intertwined as beams of magic shot toward Rin.
Rin reached into her pocket, pulling out several gemstones and tossing them forward.
The multicolored gems collided with the birds, erupting in brilliant bursts of light.
At the same time, magical energy began rapidly flowing through Rin's circuits, spreading throughout her body.
Alvin, standing nearby, seemed to realize something and spoke softly, "Water Mirror?"
Water Mirror… one of the Age of Gods magecraft Morgan had once taught Rin.
Though called a single spell, it actually encompassed four major systems: "Mirror," "Tower," "Garden," and "Coffin."
What Rin was using now was the special system known as "Garden."
As Rin clasped her hands together, it was as if a force descended upon the space around them.
"Water Mirror: Garden!"
With those words, Illya's dress froze midair, as if some invisible force had bound her within that space.
She tried to move her fingers, but found her entire body immobilized.
For the first time, Illya's expression changed. Shock filled her voice, "No, this isn't Tohsaka jewel magecraft… Where did you learn this?"
Rin let out a short laugh, "I don't see any reason to tell you."
"And besides…"
Her boots pressed into the soft snow as she approached Illya step by step, a dangerous smile curling at her lips.
"Instead of worrying about someone else's Servant, why don't you explain why the young lady of Einzbern Castle showed up before the Holy Grail War, with her Servant, to find me?"
Whoosh!
In the next instant, a red gemstone shot toward Illya like a bullet.
Just as it was about to reach her, the space seemed to ripple faintly for a brief moment.
Then, from behind the silver-haired girl, came a helpless sigh.
"I didn't expect Princess Morgan to teach you something like 'Water Mirror'. Though it's probably because of Alvin, she must quite like you."
Rin's eyes sharpened, then widened suddenly.
At some unknown moment, a man in white mage robes had appeared behind Illya.
He leaned on his staff, then drew a sword from it.
A flash of cold light cut through the air. The gemstone split in two, and the "Garden" space binding Illya shattered instantly.
But the strike didn't stop there. The all-encompassing cold gleam forced Rin to instinctively retreat.
At that moment, the snow beneath Merlin's feet seemed to melt under intense heat, spreading outward. A golden fist smashed toward the incoming wave of sword light.
Like gravity pressing down, both the snow on the ground and the falling flakes were obliterated.
"Since when did a Grand Caster stoop to bullying a girl, Merlin?"
Under Illya's delighted gaze, a black-clad figure appeared silently behind Rin.
"Nii-san!"
In an instant, Illya's eyes lit up. If not for the situation, she might have already thrown herself at him.
Alvin met the silver-haired girl's eager gaze and smiled, "It's been a while, Illya."
Then his eyes shifted to the white-haired mage beside her, "I didn't expect you to show up in Fuyuki's Holy Grail War. That's quite a surprise."
Merlin, both in Type-Moon history and in Arthurian legend, was a figure shrouded in mystery.
By all logic, this white-haired mage shouldn't even belong to the Throne of Heroes. For him to appear in Fuyuki's Holy Grail War, there was only one possibility, Merlin had chosen to participate of his own will.
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