At dusk, by the same secluded, rushing river, Shinji was sweating profusely, doing one-finger push-ups with his shirt off. He also had some weight blocks on his back, which appeared to be no less than fifty kilograms.
Perhaps it was because he was still growing or for some other reason, but the constant exercise hadn't turned Shinji into a bulky muscleman. Despite the clearly defined muscles, he still appeared taller but somewhat skinnier than boys his age.
Holding some student council materials, Rin stood on the distant riverbank, watching Shinji's silhouette. Her thoughts drifted back to three years ago.
By chance, she passed by and discovered Shinji undergoing rigorous physical training, unusual for his age.
After three hundred one-handed push-ups, he would jump into the icy, rushing river and swim against the current. Time and again, he was swept away but never gave up. The countless marks on the shore were likely indicators of each successful challenge.
When he reached a new milestone, Shinji would climb out of the river, exhausted but smiling broadly, as if he had just accomplished another goal.
That day, as he left, Rin learned about his identity through the girl waiting on the riverbank. He was Shinji Matou, the eldest son of the Matou family, rumored to have blocked magic circuits.
And that girl was Rin's former sister—Sakura Matou, originally Sakura Tohsaka.
Since then, Rin would occasionally come here and often see Shinji pushing himself with increasingly extreme physical training, which seemed beyond his age.
Every time she watched Shinji perform almost impossible, potentially injurious exercises, Rin would think, "Is this really achievable?"
But Shinji always managed to complete the increasingly difficult training. Considering he wasn't even a mage, his achievements seemed like some kind of miracle.
And these weren't just one-time miracles—they kept happening.
Can such miracles be achieved through sheer effort and perseverance? Rin once questioned herself and tried similar physical training in her family's basement but failed.
She could only complete half of the task she set for herself before giving up.
Exhausted and unable to move, she thought of quitting, but Shinji's image kept appearing in her mind.
How could he keep going despite being swept away by the river repeatedly? What was he thinking at that time? No, he wasn't thinking about anything; his gaze never wavered from his goal.
Maybe that's what she lacked.
From that day on, Rin began to emulate Shinji's training regimen. Although she couldn't match his intensity, she gradually increased her training intensity within her physical limits.
Until one day, she accidentally set her training intensity a bit too high. When there was just a little bit left to complete, she was utterly exhausted, and the barbell in her hand was about to fall due to her fatigue.
However, at the last moment, looking at the day's training goal posted on the wall, a surge of strength came from nowhere, allowing Rin to grip the barbell and complete the final bit.
After finishing, she lay on the floor, too tired to move, staring at the ceiling and suddenly started laughing.
"So, I can do it too. Is this how he feels every time? Is that why he's so happy after completing such extreme training?"
It indeed felt addictively satisfying.
Rin didn't know that Shinji's happiness came from completing system tasks, entirely different from what she thought!
Later, she continued to watch Shinji's increasingly extreme training. Occasionally, she would still feel, "This is definitely impossible, right? No way he can do this."
Yet, he never failed.
"This guy is a lunatic, a maniac who is incredibly harsh on himself," Rin thought, but she kept watching him.
Especially every time Shinji finished his training with that genuine look of joy—it never got old.
Because of one person, Rin began to believe in things she hadn't cared about before, like persistence, perseverance, effort, and maybe even...miracles.
Then came last year's unexpected confession.
In April, with cherry blossoms in full bloom, petals falling at the school gate.
Rin, who had just entered junior high, was surprised to see Shinji standing outside the school gate with his eyes closed. She instinctively thought he had enrolled in the same school.
But noticing his uniform was different from the other boys around, she dismissed the idea, feeling a faint sense of disappointment for some reason.
Then came the climax—
"Hey, do you want to be my girlfriend?"
He turned around, opened his eyes, and said the first words to her, leaving her stunned.
Is there someone who confesses at first sight in this world? Is his brain all muscle too? And isn't he too young?
Staring blankly at Shinji, Rin finally snapped back to reality, her face turning red in an instant.
"Do you know what you're saying?!"
"Is it not okay?" Shinji asked curiously.
"You-you-you-you!" Rin, embarrassed and angry, couldn't even speak clearly.
"Ah, if it's not okay, then forget it. Just consider it an April Fool's joke. Goodbye, nameless girl."
Watching Shinji turn to leave after saying this, a fire rose in Rin's heart, and she kicked him directly.
"You did it on purpose, you jerk!!"
This was the first and only overly dramatic conversation and interaction they ever had.
Pulling her wandering thoughts back, Rin looked at Shinji in the distance. By now, he had finished his one-finger push-ups, sit-ups, stationary squats, and high knees, and had taken off his pants.
Seeing Shinji's blue swimsuit with cute anime girl patterns, Rin sighed.
His choice of swimwear was still so unique.
Watching Shinji tie sandbags and weights on his legs, arms, and body, Rin calculated that these weights alone were more than twice Shinji's combined weight.
"This guy is getting harsher on himself. Doesn't he fear body damage? You can't be this desperate, can you?"
Splash!
Watching Shinji jump into the river, even though Rin had witnessed many "miracles," she still felt a bit worried for him.
"Please, don't let anything happen to him."