"Senpai… Rin-senpai, wake up…"
When Tohsaka Rin opened her eyes, she found herself in the Fuyuki Church. It was already night. Matou Sakura was sitting beside her, using her own lap as a pillow. That must have been why Rin had been able to sleep so peacefully.
"You really are something, falling asleep in a place like this. Aren't you afraid someone might attack you?"
Illyasviel was leaning by the window, her toes tapping against the floor impatiently.
"How did I end up here?"
Rin was still groggy, the exhaustion from running around for so long weighing her down. For a moment, she couldn't quite process things.
"Still fuzzy, huh? After we killed Matou Zouken, you broke down crying and apologized to Sakura. Then we all got a message from the Holy Grail War's overseer saying someone had violated the rules and needed to be punished. So we came here."
Illya pointed at Emiya Shirou, who was waiting nearby. "Sakura even brought him along for you. Otherwise, that guy would still be waiting like a dope for you to pick him up."
"I'm fine, Rin. You look like you haven't slept in days. Get some rest."
Emiya Shirou, ever the gentleman, gave his usual nice-guy response.
"Thanks…"
Now that she'd fully woken up, Rin began to recall the memories she'd forgotten. She really had needed that rest. "I'm okay. But now's not the time to relax—not until we settle things with you and the overseer."
Just then, the church doors opened, and the supervisor of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War entered.
"Rin. All these years and you're still stubborn as ever."
Kotomine Kirei stepped into the room, leading a red-haired woman with him. His gaze quickly fell on Emiya Shirou. "This the civilian you mentioned who accidentally got involved in the war? Emiya, was it…"
Bazett scanned the room with a complicated expression. After a brief pause, she nodded toward everyone and sat down on the bench with perfect posture, ready to jump into combat at any moment.
"Alright, aside from Assassin's Master, everyone's present."
"Wait… you're saying everyone here is a Holy Grail War participant? Even this little girl?"
Shirou had assumed Illya was just Rin's friend. Even when Sakura revealed her Command Spells earlier, he'd been shocked. "The Grail really chose kids to fight in this? It's forcing little girls into this mess?"
Bazett clearly shared that sentiment. She hadn't expected to be competing against a bunch of high schoolers for the Holy Grail.
"Correction—Big Brother Emiya is actually younger than me. Let me formally introduce myself."
Illya strode over to Shirou, daintily pinched the hem of her dress, and gave a small curtsy.
"I am Illyasviel von Einzbern, representing the Einzbern family in this war. My mother is Irisviel… and my father is—Emiya Kiritsugu!"
"What?!"
Shirou had never once heard Kiritsugu mention having a daughter. That man had always seemed like someone who wanted to help people, to be a hero of justice—and he'd been so kind to Shirou, too. If he had a daughter, there's no way he wouldn't have shown some sign of it in ten years. Shirou couldn't believe someone like Kiritsugu would abandon his family.
"You're lying!"
"What, you steal away that bastard Kiritsugu, and now you won't even acknowledge me as your sister?"
Illya stared at Shirou with piercing eyes. If not for her unique experiences with Jiang You, she might have already cut Shirou up and turned him into a doll by now. After all, they were family in name—killing him outright would've been too wasteful.
"I… I didn't mean it like that."
Illya looked like a girl no older than ten, and Shirou struggled to accept the truth.
"Suit yourself. You're just a stray, anyway. Mother Iri will never recognize you."
Illya now had a way to reunite with her mother, so she no longer held any attachment to Shirou.
Shirou felt overwhelmed. Everyone's eyes were on him, making him feel deeply uncomfortable. He looked around at the other participants, then made a decision.
"Father Kotomine… I want to withdraw from the Holy Grail War. I have no reason to fight anyone."
"A reasonable decision. A civilian caught in the ritual is best off seeking the Church's protection and withdrawing."
Kotomine Kirei gazed at Shirou, as if searching for something familiar. His eyes narrowed, then curved into a grin.
"You carry the same desire as your father Kiritsugu, don't you? That dream of saving others."
"You knew Kiritsugu?"
More than just "knew." But Kirei didn't answer directly. Instead, he went on:
"Now that you're giving up the Grail, have you considered what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands?"
"…What would happen?"
"Do you remember the great fire in Fuyuki ten years ago? That's what happens when the Grail falls into unworthy hands. We don't know what wish that Master made—but disaster followed."
"Wait… you mean—"
Shirou remembered the despair of that day. The blazing inferno. The sky scorched red. He'd stretched out his hand, wishing desperately to be saved—and it was Kiritsugu who took his hand. From that moment, Shirou had admired Kiritsugu and his dream of saving others.
"Yes. Can you really stand by and do nothing?"
Kirei's voice coaxed him forward.
"And this time, we do have such a threat. The recent chaos—it's all the work of one Servant. According to Lancer's Master, he even transformed his own Master into a portable battery! If someone like that obtains the Holy Grail…"
"!"
Shirou's eyes widened. After spending time with Archer, he'd come to understand just how powerful Servants could be. If one chose to use that power maliciously, the destruction they could cause would be on a whole different level than even the worst serial killer.
He couldn't even imagine what would happen if Illya or anyone else had summoned that Caster.
"We have to stop him!"
"Exactly."
Kirei raised his sleeve to show the Command Spells on his arm.
"Caster's actions have crossed the line. Both the hidden world and the public world can no longer ignore him. So, as the supervisor, I now extend an invitation to all Masters."
"Let's defeat Caster together!"