Chapter 66 Tohsaka Household Finance Affairs: Pro-Tips Edition
Shirou had to go out in the morning, but it wasn't so urgent that he had to depart this very second. Thus, after finishing breakfast, he headed back to the room with Rin first.
As for whose room... it wasn't Rin's this time. This time, he was the one who proactively invited Rin inside.
"There's actually something else?"
Rin wore an expression of utterly unexpected confusion; without any mental preparation, a faint blush tinted her cheeks. Yet she didn't show any resistance, simply allowing herself to be pulled into the room. Rin wasn't afraid; no matter what he intended, it didn't matter.
By closing the door, Shirou confirmed they were free from outside surveillance. During this, Rin maintained an "I'll just see what you're trying to do" look.
Shirou was the first to speak: "Did you say before that you had a fight with Flat?"
As if hearing an unexpected topic, Rin blinked twice in surprise, then nodded. That was only Day 0—technically just a day ago—yet in everyone's memory, it felt like the distant past.
"Is it okay to do that?"
Shirou found it hard to imagine that a duel wouldn't result in some lingering resentment.
"For that blonde idiot, it was probably just pure joy to be able to spar. You should know that too, Shirou."
Rin spoke very bluntly about Flat in a way that was technically quite rude.
Shirou had purchased many of Flat's video games; he understood—he really did. He and Flat met from time to time in London. They just hadn't managed to run into each other during this Holy Grail War yet. Shirou remembered Flat's Servant was supposed to be a Berserker; since it possessed reason, perhaps there would be a chance for them to get to know each other. Being fellow Servants, maybe they would have common topics with Saber and Rider.
Nodding in agreement with Rin, Shirou moved to the real subject: "So, how many gems did you use in that battle?"
"Twenty-one."
The speed of her answer—coming out like a reflex—was impressive. As expected of Rin, her property accounting was precise down to the single digit.
Rin seemed to realize that this made her look like a "terrible woman" and subtly averted her gaze. Shirou had seen her get dejected over subtle little things many times before; he hoped she wouldn't dwell on it so much.
"Then I'll replenish them for you now?"
No answer came, only an exceptionally fidgety looking-around. The "Little Devil" persona from earlier had vanished to parts unknown; now there was only a young woman who felt that this was somehow more embarrassing than if "something" had actually happened.
"If you're bored, sit on the edge of the bed for a bit. I'll be quick."
After leaving Rin—who had become as well-behaved as a borrowed cat—on the edge of his bed, Shirou found a slightly more open area in the room.
Shirou truly didn't understand what exactly Rin found embarrassing. Wasn't it just a matter of him replacing whatever gems she was missing? Surely Rin wouldn't feel ashamed just because she was "accepting things from Shirou," right? If that were the case, Shirou had been helped so many times that he should have died of shame long ago.
In any case—
The solar wheel.
"Trace On."
Projection. The magecraft of materializing a replica of an object that once existed in reality using magical energy.
However, Shirou's Projection magecraft was slightly different. His projections were essentially by-products of [Unlimited Blade Works]. Projections that didn't disappear even after long-term preservation, the ability to copy even Noble Phantasms, the reading and reproduction of usage history... Shirou's Projection was a singularity completely different from normal Projection magecraft.
But even a singularity had its constraints and boundaries.
The Noble Phantasms Shirou could project were basically limited to those used in melee combat. No matter how strange a Noble Phantasm or armament was, as long as it could at least be used for melee, the difficulty of Projection dropped drastically. Mysterious ordinary objects, like fishing rods or microwaves, were a breeze to project. But gems used as catalysts were a bit more delicate.
Ordinary minerals should be similar to the fishing rod or microwave situation, but high-quality gems that formed natural spirits and carried elemental attributes were not easy to project directly. This was the weight one must bear to manifest a fantasy that technically shouldn't exist.
However... there were many ways to bypass the "check."
This required a little "pro-tip."
A faint azure light illuminated the morning room, gradually taking shape in his hands. What emerged from the light was not a "gem," but a "sword."
A sword encrusted with numerous gems.
As a Noble Phantasm, the chilling light of the blade was like a frozen frost-mark, quietly seeping into the surrounding air. At the intersection of the spine and the crossguard sat three gems in a row: navy blue, steel black, and amber, flickering silently like star fragments. On the inner side of the hilt sat a cinnabar-colored gem.
This nameless sword was not a Sword of Selection, but it should be categorized as a Royal Sword held by a king. Thus, as a symbol of royalty and power, the monarch who held it had bestowed upon it lavish decorations.
While it had its own True Name as a Noble Phantasm, what was needed here was not its use as a weapon.
Not long after the Royal Sword appeared, it began to vanish. As the wielder who had projected it, Shirou could freely control its existence and disappearance.
However... as the blade scattered into motes of light, the gems on the sword remained as they were.
The final result was that the sword body—used as the "judgment tool"—dissolved back into the air as a mist of magical energy, leaving only the gems to clatter onto the tabletop.
If Rin and the others had to hone their magical theory and application, Shirou had to hone the precision of his Projection and Alteration. Being able to control which part returns to its source and which part does not disappear was one of the subjects regarding precision.
Next was simply repeating the process.
Projection. Disappearance. Gems falling.
Projection. Disappearance. Gems falling.
Projection. Disappearance. Gems falling x N.
Alright, finished!
Feeling like he had performed a very foolish display, Shirou gathered his momentum and wrapped a large quantity of gems into a sheet of projected parchment. Subsequently, he returned to the room, crouched down to be level with Rin who was sitting on the bed, and briskly handed the parchment into her hands.
"Here. Twenty-one gems."
Rin's face was bright red, her gaze wandering, her fingers hovering timidly between accepting and not.
"Rin? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"It's not 'unwell,' it's more like... various issues of pride..."
Rin's voice, as she insisted on looking elsewhere, was tiny. Her lips and eyes trembled subtly. Because she was sitting primly on the edge of the bed with her hands on her knees, it felt unnecessarily ambiguous, like high schoolers sitting on a double bed.
"? There's no need to worry. I feel this is a necessary support as your former attendant and disciple."
"I-I get it already!"
Her "at-home" ponytail, which didn't look like a mature woman's at all, swayed as if it had a life of its own. For some reason, Rin pursed her lips and replied hurriedly, as if out of spite.
...The young lady of the Tohsaka household probably doesn't need to worry about her household finances for a while.
Tohsaka Household Finance Affairs: Pro-Tips Edition—Grand Finale!
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