Fate Coiling Sword Chapter 25 (Patreon)

Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331

Next update is Snafu, An Archer's Promise and Hound of the Dead (not at the same time)

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-Fuyuki -


“Urgh… my head…”


Leaning against the couch in her living room, Rin absent-mindedly gazed at a recently taken picture featuring herself, Ayako, and Sakura, all donning their school uniforms at the park. Ayako had captured the snapshot after they left the café, with her friend opting to spend some leisure time with both of them. It was a novel experience for the young Magus; the first time she had hung out with a friend—well, who was she kidding? Out of everyone in the school, Ayako was easily the only friend she truly enjoyed spending time with. Everyone else was, at best, classmates and acquaintances.


Most of her free time was studying and bettering her magecraft.


“She looks much more lively lately, and it all started ever since she and Shiro started hanging out, I think,” Rin mused aloud, pondering the newfound energy Ayako seemed to possess… at least more so than usual. It was a mystery how that girl and Emiya Shirou managed to get along like that. From Rin's perspective, the two of them barely had anything in common and seemed to be opposites of each other.


“They even banter with one another; Ayako even mentioned that he has a sharp tongue. Seriously…” Rin trailed off, contemplating the unusual behavior she observed with Shirou compared to the one described by the brunette. Despite their limited interaction, Rin believed she had gained a good understanding of the kind of person Shirou was through their occasional interactions whenever they crossed paths. After all, he had a reputation as the school's janitor, often found in club rooms repairing old, broken-down machines and equipment. Not that Rin thought it was appropriate; the school should have been responsible for such maintenance and hired professionals instead of relying on students to save money.


“And what's with him and Sakura?” she added, another piece of information that threw her out of the loop. The fact that he and Sakura seemed rather close was perplexing to say the least, especially considering Sakura's usual quiet demeanor. She couldn't help but feel like she had been missing out on much of what was happening around her. A sensation she did not enjoy the least, making her feel like a fool at how shocked she would be while others behaved as if they already knew about it. 


It wasn't just matters related to those from her school and Sakura… Lounging on the sofa, she mulled over the events of the day, her thoughts wandering to the approaching Holy Grail War and the series of monsters plaguing Fuyuki. The presence of an enforcer searching for whoever was responsible for the incidents only added to her stress.


“But it was nice. I wouldn't mind doing that again in the future,” she mused aloud, casting a final glance at the picture in her hand. Despite her complicated relationship with Sakura, Rin couldn't deny that spending time with her and Ayako had its merits. Deep down, she knew that what had happened in the past was for Sakura's own good, but she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that lingered within the decision made by her father.


Lost in her thoughts, the twin-tailed Magus failed to notice the doorbell ringing until a sharp knock jolted her from her contemplation. 


“Ah!” Startled, she fell off the couch, rubbing her head as she cursed under her breath. "Damn it… Ugh… who could be disturbing me on a Sunday? I bet that it's none other than that Fake Priest, just here to waste my time!" Rin grumbled, annoyed at the interruption. Hastily donning her clothing and slippers, she marched to the door with an irritated expression, swinging it open forcefully. “You stupid priest, I told you not to disturb me on Sund—!?” However, her words died in her throat as she came face to face with two familiar individuals standing on her doorstep. ‘Aren't they the two customers I saw at the cafe recently?’ 


Rin wondered, taken aback by the presence of these two rather than the usual person who had a habit of disturbing her just for kicks.


A tall man with long hair reaching his waist, a long coat that looked expensive with a stench of cigarette came from him. Next to the guy, a smaller figure stood, one who from her point of view could tell was a woman with gray colored hair but other than that most of her features were hidden away.


"Good morning, Tohsaka Rin. I am Waver Velvet. I believe we had a meeting scheduled for today, didn't we?" His voice broke the silence, prompting Rin's mind to race at a hundred miles a second. As soon as she heard his name, a wave of panic and shame washed over her, her face contorting into an ugly grimace as her cheeks flushed crimson. The realization that she had nearly insulted and disrespected the man, whom she had mistaken for someone else, filled her with embarrassment.


Waver on the other hand waved his hands awkwardly. "If this is a bad moment for you, then I perfectly understand and am willing to return another time—" his sentence was cut off abruptly as Rin slammed the door shut, her embarrassment evident on her face with a loud bam, nearly making him fall flat on his butt for the third time since his arrival in Fuyuki. 


"G-Give… give me a minute, please!" Rin's voice trembled with embarrassment as she scolded herself for her mistake. Rushing to her room, she clumsily changed her clothes, accidentally knocking over vases in her haste.


After composing herself, Rin returned to the door and took a deep breath. "You can do this, Rin! You can salvage this situation," she muttered to herself before opening the door to find Waver patiently sitting on the staircase while lighting a cigarette, looking both confused and amused by the turn of events.


"Please forgive me for the previous slight, I was too distracted with my past project and failed to recover in time!" Rin's voice trembled with nervousness as she awaited the man's response. However, instead of a reprimand, she was met with a warm chuckle that caught her off guard. 


"It's fine, you're at an age where it's normal to hang out with friends and party all night."


He remembered! 


Rin felt the urge to bash her head against the wall in frustration. Not only had the man recognized her from yesterday when they sat so close to each other, but she had failed to do the same! "No, no, it wasn't anything like that! I was just doing some research and working on my magecraft late last night and—"


"It's fine," he waved her words away with a smile once again, taking it all rather lightly. "Just treat it as a matter of the past. It's not your fault or anything like that that you didn’t know who I was. I don't expect everyone to recognize my face from the get-go. I may be a Lord, but having such expectations is rather stressful and narcissistic. Besides, I'm glad you didn't recognize me back then. It would have been a pain if you were so formal to me out of the blue in front of so many people. I would have preferred to remain under the radar while enjoying my time outside the moonlit world. But I ask again, are you sure this is a good time? I can always come back at another time and set up an agreeable meeting location. You can have some rest and don't need to stress about me or anything like that."


"No! We can talk right now, I insist!" Rin's desperate tone shone through as she tried to not let her nerves get the better of her. Looking merely a step away from just grabbing and forcefully dragging both him and Gray inside.


Both Waver and Gray exchanged glances, the latter giving a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders before her mentor sighed. “Alright then, excuse my intrusion then.” Without further ado, the man walked inside followed by his apprentice. Having walked past Rin, the latter got a close enough look at her face that it momentarily left her stunned.


‘She… is very pretty.’ 


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"Hm, this is some good tea, reminds me of the brew I would get in London." Seated in the living room, all three individuals gathered for a conversation with a tray of tea and biscuits presented on the table. Rin always made sure to have premium brands and tea leaves stored in her cupboard for such occasions, wanting to be prepared for important guests. Not even the fake priest knew about them; she suspected he would have emptied her stock by now if he ever found out and watched her plummet in despair. 


"Thank you! It's not much, but if you need anything else, let me know."


"It's fine. I did not come here to discuss matters of tea or such pleasantries in the first place, Second Owner." Soon enough, a heavy atmosphere descended upon the room, putting the young girl on edge as she waited to hear the man continue his speech. For a Lord to come all the way here was very worrisome, especially when the recent events wouldn't lead to such an outcome. Leading her to believe in one answer. "I am certain you are curious as to why someone like me would be present in Fuyuki. No, you probably already have an idea as to why."


Clenching her fists out of nervousness, the young girl nodded her head. "The Holy Grail War..."


At that, he nodded his head while crossing his legs. "Indeed, the Holy Grail War. The only event that would attract so many people from our world to this town in the first place, and one that I have the fortune, or I'd say the misfortune, to participate in again." He said calmly, though his words felt no less than a sledgehammer smacking Rin on the head. 


She was already certain that big-name players chosen by the Clock Tower would be participating in this event—young prodigies from highly acclaimed families and geniuses from all around the world fighting to secure a spot. But to have a lord of all people, the head of the El-Malloy family, participate as well was not within her calculations given what happened in the previous war! "Are you not curious why I decided to participate again?" 


"It is not my place to ask such questions, sir." The last thing she wanted was to accidentally bring up a sensitive topic.


But the man in question didn't seem that bothered.


"You can. I would not fault you for holding such curiosity in the first place. Before you get the idea that the reason why I'm willing to participate in this war is because of a wish for the Root or to further progress my magecraft, believe me when I say that it is far from that.." His words grabbed her attention, confusing her as it seemed shocking that someone would so casually mention that they had no interest in such a widely sought-after goal. After all, every Magus desired to reach the Root, where all the answers and solutions lay. And to have someone like Lord El-Malloy say that he did not desire such things was odd, to say the least.


As if reading her mind, the man shrugged his shoulders before continuing to speak. "I already participated in the 4th Holy Grail War in the past, and my wishes back then have mostly come true through my own hard work. In the end, I did not need the aid of a wish-granting device to give me what I desired. But people change, and so do their desires. I seek only one thing that has nothing to do with winning, so do not worry, as I am not your enemy here. It would be rather arrogant and foolish of me to visit a future Master with hostile intentions in such a manner." A small chuckle escaped his mouth, speaking those words as a joke.


“Then what do you…”


"An alliance, if you will, a peace treaty between us before we even summon our Servants. I'll cut to the chase and not waste your time, I'll aid you in backing you up whenever you're facing a particularly troublesome opponent or save you from a sticky situation if I can, but in exchange, you do the same for me." Waver knew full well that to win the war, all but one Servant needed to die for enough magical energy to be collected for the Grail to activate and momentarily open a path that many sought after.


Which meant that Rider would also need to die for Rin to win. But she did not need to know that. His current plans were to secure a layer of defense of sorts with an ally and not repeat the same mistakes as his past self did. With the Golden King no longer around, he did not necessarily need to fear anyone of that caliber being summoned. The odds were far too low for it to even be taken into consideration. But it never hurt to establish an ally so early on in the game, and his impression of the young girl was already good enough from the brief interaction he had with observing her.


But in the end, there would come a time when if indeed Rin were close to winning the war, with the only line separating her and the wish-granting device being his summoned Servant, then Waver knew that their current proposed alliance would crumble in seconds. But that was an issue he would deal with another time, an issue left for his future self to handle for now. For now, all he cared about was actually getting to see that person again without anyone blocking his path and making it easier for Gray.


He was close, so close with little to no obstacles that he believed it was a matter of time before something eventually popped up to make his life harder.


"I've been up to date with matters concerning the internal affairs of Fuyuki and other magi. Many big-name players will participate in this war, and I'm certain you don't want to face multiple of them all by yourself. It is very possible for there to be other alliances established between Masters. There are no rules against it, and even if there were, they were never enforced in the past. So rather than go at each other's throats, let's all work together and come out of this event as winners." He extended his hand toward the girl, the latter almost overwhelmed by the entire scenario. To have an ally as powerful as him not only knock on her door but to mention that he had no desire to go for the Grail was almost like a dream. 


Too good to be true if she were honest…


“...”


Seeing her hesitation, Waver already suspected the girl to react like that and had another card up his sleeve to use to his advantage. "I learned from the priest assigned to this region that you are practicing a jewel-related thaumaturgy, right? I am familiar with such a branch and have even interacted with someone who practices a similar magecraft. Having heard all of the exploits and talents you possess, it would be only logical for me to propose a sponsorship for whenever it's time for you to come and study at the Clock Tower. One directly under my name." It didn't take long before stars shone within Rin's eyes as she immediately grabbed his hand to shake it with a barely hidden excited grin.


"It would be an honor for me to help you!"


That was easier than he expected. Well, at least it worked out for him. Before the conversation came to an end and he could go back to his accommodation where a certain stubborn woman insisted that they hang out for a bit, he had another question that lingered in his mind despite having on multiple occasions assured himself that he was thinking far too much. "By the way, are you familiar with the boy named Emiya Shirou?”


“Huh?” 


That came out of nowhere.


{Break}


“I'm not so sure about this, Med-san. It feels too tight; I don't know if I can hold on any longer,” 


It had been a while since his last outing, Shirou experienced a strange situation if he were to be honest, feeling rather uncomfortable as he sat outside with the thin walls doing little to block the sounds coming from inside the house. As the sun began to set over the horizon, it was his signal to once again resume his time venturing onto the streets of Fuyuki.


“Take deep breaths, Sakura. It will loosen up and it won't hurt anymore; it will even start to feel more pleasant,” Rider's calm voice reassured Sakura, attempting to alleviate her discomfort. “Just bear with it for a little longer.”


The last time he patrolled Fuyuki was quite a while ago, since his encounter with the Chimera monsters, where he managed to lethally wound the most destructive one with the aid of Bazett — the latter having done most of the heavy lifting. Now, he couldn't be certain there weren't more of those creatures roaming around the area, though perhaps Bazzet already eradicated any remnants before facing the one at the docks but he couldn't be certain. Despite Fuyuki not being the largest town, it still had enough hidden spaces where similar creatures could lurk—tightly packed spaces with countless nooks and crannies.


“M-My chest feels hot… it's hard to breathe and I don't want senpai to see me like this.”


“You know he'll like it, just do it for him.” 


“Ah!” His eyebrows twitched as another moan reached his ears. “Yes... much, much better. But don't touch me there so hard; it feels weird.”


With Rider by his side, Shirou felt a newfound sense of security. The woman's presence eased his fears, although he remained vigilant for any other Heroic Spirits that might emerge, especially with the Holy Grail War drawing near. 


“You have a gifted figure for someone your age, Sakura. I'm sure he must be happy to have you here, it must be hard for him as well.” 


“D-d-don't say it like that! S-senpai wouldn't…”


“Are you sure? I know his eyes tend to wander around whenever you are around.


His eyes twitched again, now having reached his limit, the redhead abruptly got up from his seat, rushing inside the house with a bewildered expression. "What the hell is going on here!?" he exclaimed, getting dumbfounded as he stumbled upon seeing the two inside, their seemingly suggestive conversation taking on an entirely different meaning and causing his face to flush with embarrassment.


In the room, he found Rider and Sakura together, the Servant in the middle of trying to tie one of his old aprons on Sakura which was a size or two too small for her, especially on her chest. “...” Shiro found himself at a loss for words, the flush on his face refusing to die down anytime soon. 


His reaction led Rider to show an ever so slight smirk on her face which he missed. Sakura had a similar reaction to him, a blush on her face. Both sides had a moment of silence before Rider spoke out first.


“I am just helping Sakura try out this apron,” she answered as her hand moved to tighten the tie behind and forced another involuntary moan out of the girl once again, making the latter hide her face away with her hands. “It will just take a moment, you can stay if you want to.”


His turbulent mind trying to make sense of the situation, Shirou pointed at the apron in particular. “That thing is obviously too small for her! Where did you even find it? I haven't used it for years…” 


“I found it in your closet.” She said it so casually that he didn't bother to question why she was rummaging around his stuff in the first place. “What do you think, Shirou?” Grabbing onto Sakura's hands, Rider made sure the girl wouldn't be able to hide anything. 


It felt weird to hear her call him by his name, having gotten used to ‘Master’, but he didn't mind it. “Stop messing with her, Ri—uh, Med.” He nearly slipped there, glad to see them getting along but sighing at the fact that it came with Rider finding pleasure in putting the lilac haired girl in a rough spot intentionally. But she did not budge, getting her hold on Sakura as the poor girl became more and more red with each passing second. “...it's fine, but a bit too tight in my opinion.” 


“You think so? I believe it suits her just fine.” 


“She looks like she's about to faint.” 


“It certainly won't be due to a lack of oxygen.” The amusement in her tone couldn't be hidden as Sakura ran away and went inside her room, leaving the two by themselves as Shirou crossed his arms when looking at the Servant before him. 


“Is it just me or are you getting more and more enjoyment out of seeing me making a fool of myself and others?” Shirou asked, this being not the first time he found himself on the receiving end of her actions which led him to experience some form of embarrassment and nervousness. 


“I don't know what you're talking about, Master.” Her tone returned back to being slightly monotone, though he detected something more. “You just are very easy to get a reaction out of, more so than Sakura.” 


“I am not…” his voice came out lower than he would have liked, a part of him agreed with Rider's words but he wasn't willing to let her know. But he also felt he wasn't that easy to get a reaction out of, she was just misunderstanding—


“Pouting won't change the reality of it.” 


“Wah!” A chill ran up his spine as he heard Rider's voice sound from right next to his ears, the hot air touching his skin leading him to jolt away while looking back at her with a bewildered face at the amused Heroic Spirit who he knew was smirking on the inside!


“See?” She said casually, “It's not my fault you are like this, if Sakura and the other girls knew about this then you'd be in a lot of trouble.” 


That made him confused, “I don't see why knowing about such a thing would put me in trouble.” Shirou admitted it wasn't that he was easy to tease, he knew that… but it was just very hard to keep his composure around this woman in particular when she did stuff like that! 


“...” 


“You're giving me that, ‘Are you an idiot?’ look again aren't you?” He only needed to look back once to figure it out.


“I wouldn't use that type of wording… but it's something along those lines.” She didn't even bother hiding it, getting her Master to sigh as both of them entered the shed.


“... Hah, nevermind, I don't think I can win against you no matter how hard I try.” He said while walking to his shed, Rider followed him as he made his last preparations before heading out. “Now that I think about it, this is the first time I'll be going on a lookout with you. Unlike before, we won't be spending much time outside as it's better to return earlier than usual.” 


Rummaging through his items in the shed, Shirou went to the corner where he pulled out a drape showcasing various assortments of his old equipment and other small tools, left to collect some dust during his recovery. "Thankfully, I haven't left these here for too long. Other than a thin layer of dust, everything is in proper condition to be used immediately." Now that he experienced using his own projection Magecraft during combat to be just as effective as using his guns, Shirou wondered if he could find a way to not only solve his issues of running out of ammo during combat but also get used to using a blade in case he needed to protect himself against close-range combatants. 


With Bazett now present in Fuyuki, he wondered if asking the woman to help him with such things and teach him proper hand-to-hand combat was appropriate. Though he wasn't sure if she would even agree or where to find her in the first place. After their first meeting, they never had any contact afterward.


"Master..." Hearing Rider's voice, Shirou turned around to find the servant curiously looking at something at the very back of his shed. Following her gaze, he found the woman staring at a covered-up bike that had been left there for a couple of years. 


"Are you curious about the bike? That is just an old thing I got from one of Fujimura-Ojiisan’s subordinates. He didn’t have anymore use for it after getting a newer model, and this one has many mechanical issues. He gave it to me as a small gift, but I expect the guy just didn't want to put any effort into getting rid of it, as he couldn't even sell it and just dumped it in my shed for convenience." The bike was an old Honda CBX1000, a classic machine from the '70s with a powerful engine capable of more than 100 horsepower on paper. But unfortunately, it currently won't reach that kind of speed without some major fixes.”


"So she can still run?" Rider asked, walking closer to the motorcycle and running her fingers over the leather seat. 


Shirou hummed, shaking his head at her question. "Barely. It needs a full engine replacement, I believe. It can run at a somewhat decent enough speed but consumes a lot of fuel, far too much. The brakes need to be changed as well, as they tend to fail a lot and the suspension needs to be replaced too. The headlights aren't working, and the wheels aren't in the best condition. But yeah, it can run, but you'd risk your life just to make a small tour of the neighborhood and break a couple of traffic laws in the process," he joked, not noticing Rider's gaze on the vehicle becoming more interested as she now gripped the handle.


After he finished preparing his gear on the table, the boy turned to find the Servant having taken a seat on the bike itself, her figure leaning against the metal body as her assets pushed against it. He averted his eyes, making sure she wouldn't see him react like that and find another reason to tease him further. "You're curious about it?" he asked, realizing that she must have never seen this kind of transportation vehicle before. It was a creation of the modern era, and it made sense why someone like her would be very curious. "I can try to fix all of the small issues in a matter of days so we can try it out if you want to," he suggested.


But to his surprise, Rider suggested something else. "We can try it out right now, Master." There was an eagerness in her voice that did not escape him, surprising him at how eager she was to ride the vehicle. Before he could answer, the woman turned around to look at him. "We can just make a quick tour of the neighborhood. It won't take long, I promise."


"Uhhh... Like I told you, the headlights aren't working, the brakes tend to fail, and the engine is not exactly in the best shape. I don't know if you'll be able to—" He didn't even get to finish his sentence as Rider cut in with a more stern voice.


"—Do not underestimate a Servant, Master. Did you forget that I am a Rider?" Even though it didn't look like it, Shirou could tell she felt rather offended by his words. A sense of panic settled in as to diffuse the situation, he quickly nodded his head, much to his regret. 


"O-Of course we can try it out, but only around this neighborhood. We can't take it on the main streets as it will be very dangerous."


At that, the woman smirked before nodding her head. "Don't worry about it."


A few minutes after doing some last-minute checkups and finding the keys, the sound of an engine roaring filled the shed as Rider revved up the engine with a twist of her hand. "Well, at least it's still able to run. I expected the engine to have died by now or break down as soon as it started," Shirou commented, surprised to see the thing still having some life left in it. After how long he left it unattended in the shed, he believed more parts of it should have been damaged or broken by now.


… And he was pretty sure he emptied the tank, didn't he?


Oh well, most likely an oversight on his end, so he just dismissed it.


"Okay, just be back soon, Rider. We can't afford to waste too much time," he said after opening the large doors of the shed, giving way for the woman to drive off onto the streets. “Ah!” But before he could walk away, he felt a gentle pull on his collar and was surprised to find himself getting pulled back and placed next to the bike.


"Where are you going, Master?" she asked.


Huh? What did she mean by that? Didn't she want to have a moment and experience the feeling of riding a bike? He wondered if he had missed something. "I'm... I'm just going to head inside and pick up other equipment I have around."


"You don't want to ride with me?" Rider questioned with a tone that sounded quieter than usual and even disappointed.


It sounded like he had said something wrong once again. "I am still unfamiliar with the vehicle. It would be nice for you to be there and teach me how to use it," Rider explained. Ah, now it made sense why she was insisting for him to come. Smacking himself on the head, he readily agreed to accompany her. But soon his nervousness came back as he found himself sitting at the back with his body a bit too close to the woman, who didn't seem to be bothered by it. Her attention was fully engrossed in the vehicle as she further revved up the engine.


"Why are you so nervous? Don't worry, I don't bite," she said, taking his arms, she made him wrap them around her slim, curvacious waist and stomach. "As a Servant, I have to make sure you are safe and don't accidentally fall off. So don't be a child and hold on to me."


“...”


Easier said than done. The type of clothing she wore made it very easy for him to feel every inch of her body if he got too close to her, the thin fabric leaving very little to the imagination as he even felt her warmth through it.


"This is going to be fun," she exclaimed.


As he prepared to give a step-by-step instruction on how to use and ride the device, the woman suddenly twisted her hands as the engine roared with newfound life. “AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!” His soul left his body followed by a loud scream as everything around him blurred, his previously gentle hold on Rider tightening up as the wind pressure nearly made him fall off the bike.


"You are going way too fast! How is it even going so fast!? Slow down!" he cried out, but his words fell on deaf ears as Rider seemed to get further engrossed in the race. The wind howling coupled with the sound of a roaring engine occupying his hearing, the sensation of Rider's hair making it momentarily impossible for him to even see in front! 


Only by shaking his head did he manage to get a peek and instantly went pale. "Careful!"


His scream echoed around the neighborhood as he saw the road quickly come to an end with a sharp turn to the right. With the speed they were going, it would be impossible to make such a tight turn without crashing into another house! But to his horror, not only did she not slow down, but somehow increased the speed and made the bike go beyond anything it was capable of!


“Are you crazy!? Wah!” With a feat that could only be described as pure magic, the bike swerved around as the tires screeched loudly, tilting at a steep enough angle that his knees nearly touched the asphalt. Shirou's life flashed before his eyes, the realization that Rider was heading straight for the main area of Fuyuki completely going unnoticed by the horrifying teenager as all he could do right now was cling to the woman as tightly as possible, focused on staying alive more than anything else.” 


{Break}

 

In the heart of Fuyuki, the street lamps cast their glow upon two figures in the middle of the street. The redhead fell to his knees, emptying his stomach at the street corner, while the woman gently rubbed his back, genuinely feeling sorry for him. "Sorry about that, Master. I got too much into it and forgot to hold back a bit more," she apologized.


"That was you holding back?!" he exclaimed, getting a small nod of confirmation which only made it worse for him. He nearly fainted at the thought of how much worse things could have been if she had gone all out. "Never… never again! At this rate, I'll die way before the war has even started!"


He wanted to cry out, but had no tears, and worst of all, Rider continued to massage his back. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it very soon, Master. I'll make sure to start slow next time."


"You think there will be a next time?! This only makes me more convinced to find a seller for the bike or scrap it before you get your hands on it again! How did you even reach those speeds? It shouldn’t be able to go that fast, and even the brakes were working like brand new! All of it was so unnatural!" He had tried to ride the bike in the past to test it out and he knew its limitations, but when Rider was on it, it felt like a completely different vehicle. 


"I have A+ rank skills for riding. Nothing is impossible for me." She told him, a hint of pride in her declaration.


"That doesn't make me feel better... and I didn't even get to bring my guns!" he lamented, realizing he had left most of his things back in the shed, assuming they would make a small detour around the house before returning. Now they were in the middle of Fuyuki and he was practically defenseless. 


"You worry too much. With a Servant by your side, you won't need those weapons to protect yourself. I'll do most of it."


As if fate was playing a game on them, as soon as Rider finished those words, the ground beneath them shook briefly before a cloud of smoke and fire appeared in the distance. A few blocks down the road, they witnessed an explosion happening on top of a building. Neither wasted any time. Shiro started to run without hesitation towards the source... until Rider reappeared in front of him and blocked his path with her hands. He noticed the presence of the chained daggers within her grasp and grew tense as it meant she must have sensed something worrying. 


"There is another Servant nearby," she revealed, just before another explosion happened at a building near them. Looking upwards, a dark figure descended before crashing near him as he jumped away. A cloud of smoke blinded him for a moment before it cleared away to reveal not another Servant, but a battered and wounded figure whom he immediately recognized.


“Bazett!?”


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(Fuyuki Airport)


In the middle of a brightly lit airplane hangar, the large doors of a private jet swung open, revealing a figure clad in a black suit. His presence exuded an intimidating aura that made even the staff nearby uneasy. "The coast is clear," he announced in a deep voice, scanning the area to ensure safety before turning to address the second figure emerging from the aircraft.


"Hohoho! As meticulous as ever, Clown," a young and familiar voice mentioned. "You worry too much. I highly doubt there will be any hostile magi or Master-Servant duos attempting to assassinate us here when I am not even a Master… yet."


A woman in a navy blue dress gracefully descended the aircraft's stairs, her blonde pigtails bouncing with each step. Luvia, checking her contact list on her phone, scoffed in frustration and  annoyance. "That idiot has a lot of explaining to do. Let's hope he didn't die while I was en route."


She was not one to lose her composure easily, but being ignored by a certain boy had managed to ruffle her feathers. This was further worsened by the fact he wasn't answering her calls! 


She was going to give him such a thrashing when she got her hands on him!


"Where to next, my lady?" Clown inquired.


Suppressing her frustration, Luvia composed herself and smirked. "It's only proper for us to pay a visit to the Second Owner first. I'm sure she'll be delighted to see us.” As much as she wanted to storm inside Shirou's house to give him a piece of her mind, the woman first needed to learn where he lived and Rin would know such information for every registered Magus living in her territory.