A new day, a new beginning. In the blink of an eye, nearly two weeks had passed since Takashi Kuroda returned from Mifune City, and now there were less than two weeks left before the Holy Grail War officially began. During this time, Takashi had settled into a routine: teaching Touko Aozaki and Ryougi Shiki in the mornings, patrolling the streets and scouting the situation in the afternoons, and popping open champagne in the evenings—a simple, three-part cycle.
To be honest, Takashi was starting to wonder if setting the Holy Grail War a month later had been a mistake. He was already feeling a little bored. Fourteen days of this had nearly driven him up the wall.
Bored! All I want is to fight this damn Holy Grail War already!
That thought had taken root in Takashi's mind and refused to leave.
"Um, sensei… I still don't really understand this part… sensei?" A timid voice drifted into his ears, and Takashi realized he had been spacing out for too long. Little Touko was holding up a question she didn't understand, but seeing that he hadn't responded, she hadn't dared to speak up. Only after standing there for a while did she finally muster the courage to ask again.
"For this part, you just need to…" Drawing from his knowledge of Imaginary Number magecraft, Takashi carefully explained the concept. Touko nodded, though it was clear she only half-understood, before slowly attempting to put it into practice.
"I don't know what's going on with little Touko. Ever since we got back from Mifune City, she's gotten a lot slower at learning Imaginary Number magecraft… She picked it up so fast on the first and second days, but now she just seems… kind of sluggish everywhere. System, is that learning boost of yours like some trial-period acceleration? Only works for a short burst before crapping out?" Takashi couldn't help but complain.
[Host, that was a 5000 Villain Point item! It's not some scammy pay-to-win garbage.]
"Then explain what's going on with Touko."
[Well, learning is a process that gets harder the deeper you go. It's like how the math you learn in elementary school can't compare to middle school, and middle school can't compare to high school, and high school can't compare to advanced calculus. Same principle. Host, Imaginary Number magecraft is the same—the further you go, the harder it gets. Slowing down is natural.]
"Fine. I was hoping little Touko might be able to help me out during the Fourth War, but I guess I'll just have to take it slow." Takashi sighed.
[Host, don't forget you've got another little gem outside practicing the Nanaya assassination techniques.] the system reminded.
"Shiki's case is a bit different. The Nanaya assassination arts were designed specifically for the Nanaya clan's unique physical traits. Ryougi's current physique just isn't quite there yet. I could use the Ruination's power to adjust her body, but I'm not sure if that might interfere with the one connected to the Root." Takashi mused.
"Sensei, I'm done with my training." Just then, Ryougi walked in, wiping sweat from her brow with a towel, a bright smile on her face.
"Hm? Siki, did Shiki push herself until she passed out again?" Takashi asked.
He was already well aware of Siki's existence. Their personalities were quite different, and their speech patterns made it easy to tell them apart—one used the polite "watashi" (here referred to as "I"), while the other used the rougher "ore" (here referred to as "me").
This wasn't the first time Siki had appeared. Ever since Ryougi witnessed Takashi's elegant and dazzling Nanaya techniques in Mifune City, she had been pestering him to teach her. Takashi had no choice but to start with the basics. Even so, the training was too much for Ryougi's body—she pushed herself to the point of collapse every time, only stopping when she was completely exhausted and barely conscious.
As a result, Siki would always step in afterward, consolidating the gains from the training, refining the movements, and absorbing the lessons before returning to report the day's progress to Takashi.
"You should really talk to her. If she keeps this up, she's going to wreck her body. You can't rush these things—there's no need to push herself so hard when she doesn't have to master it immediately." Takashi said.
"I can't do anything about it. I know how stubborn Shiki is—once she decides to do something, there's no changing her mind. But if you say something, sensei, she might actually listen." Siki took a sip of water, then grinned and waved. "Well then, sensei, I'm gonna go take a bath. Don't try to peek, okay~?"
"With that tiny body of yours? Who'd even want to look?" Takashi rolled his eyes.
"Heh, don't underestimate us. Shiki's got the makings of a real beauty—I'd know. Hehe, if sensei really can't help himself and sneaks a peek, I won't mind. I could even help keep it a secret from Shiki~"
"Yeah, yeah, get out of here." Takashi had heard this kind of teasing more times than he could count. He knew it was just Siki's nature, so he didn't take it seriously. However, little Touko, who had been listening nearby, furrowed her brows slightly, glancing between Ryougi and Takashi before staring down at her own small body and sighing.
...
After finishing the day's lessons, Takashi checked the system shop. Nothing particularly appealing had refreshed today. His Villain Points had risen from 4,000 to 4,700 over these past two weeks—most of it accumulated through minor villainous acts, since there hadn't been many opportunities for major ones. The bulk of the points actually came from Matou Kariya's daily beatdowns of the old worm and Kotomine Kirei's routine sabotage of Tokiomi and Risei.
"Tch. I was hoping to find a body-refinement technique suitable for Shiki, but there's nothing—not even something for myself. The good stuff that does show up is always way too expensive. Annoying." Takashi irritably closed the shop interface. For fourteen days straight, nothing worthwhile had appeared. Even the "Lucky Discounts" kept rolling on useless junk, leaving him with no desire to buy anything.
"Master, the little Hassan is here with another letter." Just then, Stheno appeared beside him.
"Let's see… Last time, I had him track down the location of the MacKenzie couple's residence, and it took him this long to report back… Hm, the address is confirmed, but there's no rush to meet Waver yet. I've got other plans for how to enter the Holy Grail War. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been hiding my Ruination power and face all this time." After some thought, Takashi decided against seeking out Waver directly—though if they happened to cross paths, that would be a different story.
"Oh? Tokiomi is sending his wife and daughter away from the main house to the Zenjou residence? Heh, now that's interesting. Might as well go take a look this afternoon." Takashi had a very keen interest in the future Tohsaka Rin and a certain Mrs. Tohsaka. Not only that, but he also remembered that today was the day a certain relic tied to the "Ancient Bully" would be delivered to the Tohsaka household. With that in mind, he decided to pay the Tohsaka residence a visit.
...
"Your luggage seems quite large."
"Yeah, starting today, I'll be staying at the Zenjou house."
Inside the Tohsaka residence, little Rin was hauling her luggage, preparing to leave. When Kotomine Kirei came down to see her off, she responded politely. However, despite her young age, Rin was already aware of the dangerous task her father was about to undertake. Worried for his safety, she turned to Kirei and asked, "Kirei, you'll stay by Father's side and fight with him, right?"
"That is why I became his apprentice," Kirei replied with a nod.
Rin tilted her head slightly, her eyes betraying a concern far beyond her years. After a moment of thought, she pressed further. "Kirei… can I trust you?"
"Oh?" The question caught Kirei off guard.
"Can you promise me that you'll protect Father and make sure he stays safe until the very end?" Rin stared straight at him, waiting for the answer she wanted to hear.
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