"OK, understood. As a Master, I won't comment on your private matters. Let's talk about how you plan to handle this situation."
Rin folded her arms and turned away, her face slightly red. "Simple. We'll just observe for now. As long as he doesn't summon a Servant, he's just an ordinary person unrelated to the Holy Grail War. The Command Spells won't form, and we can wait for someone else to summon the last Saber."
"So, you're not considering the possibility that he might summon a Servant or that you might have to fight him?"
"How did you interpret it that way?" Rin retorted, blushing.
"No matter how I hear it, that's what it sounds like."
"You!" Rin tightened her fists, gritting her teeth. "I swear, in some ways, you really are like that guy, especially in how you annoy me."
Archer chuckled softly.
"What's so funny? I told you it's not like that! I can't stand that kind of man!"
"Calm down, Master. I haven't said anything yet."
"Tch!" Rin turned away, perhaps to hide her embarrassed expression. "Enough. Right now, I'm more concerned about something else."
"The matter of the Winter Saint, Justeaze, residing in the Holy Grail that he mentioned?"
"Yes, although he might have been mocking me, the more I think about it, the more it seems the Holy Grail isn't as simple as I thought..."
"I agree." Archer nodded. "Even though I was only listening, that man seems very knowledgeable about the Holy Grail."
"Ugh." Rin sighed, putting one hand on her hip. "Looks like I'll have to dig through the basement archives when I have time. There are still many things about the Holy Grail that I don't know."
"Why not just ask that man directly?"
Rin laughed in exasperation. "A magus asking someone who's left the world of magecraft for guidance? How do you come up with these ideas? Besides, didn't you see today how poorly we get along? I don't want to ask that guy for anything!"
"Alright then, do as you wish."
"Let's go back. Tonight is for recovering my magical energy."
Without hesitation, Rin turned and walked away, clearly irritated by Archer's suggestion.
"Wait, Rin. I have one last question."
Rin stopped again, turning back with a look of impatience.
"What now? Don't tell me it's about that idiot again."
"No, it's something else. Rin, you've been trained since childhood to become a Master, and you've adhered to this goal, right?"
"Yes, for the Tohsaka family, the Holy Grail is a long-standing wish passed down through generations."
Rin answered without hesitation.
"Then you must have your own wish. If I don't know my Master's wish, I can't be your sword."
Archer stood up and looked straight at Rin. "Rin, what is your wish?"
"My wish? I don't have one."
"What?" Archer was surprised. "That's impossible. The Holy Grail is the omnipotent cup that grants any wish. It holds the power of the entire world!"
"But conquering the world sounds troublesome. Wishing for such meaningless things is pointless."
"That's hard to understand." Archer shook his head. "Then why do you fight?"
"Because the battle is there, Archer."
Looking into Rin's clear and serious eyes, Archer suddenly realized something. "So, you mean—"
"Yes, I fight simply for victory."
"I see. You truly are worthy of being my Master. You are undoubtedly the strongest Master, a most suitable one for me to serve."
Rin was momentarily at a loss, her face slightly reddening as Archer suddenly bowed respectfully.
But just then, Archer sensed something. He instantly summoned a blade, tightly gripping it in his right hand and turned to protect Rin.
"Who's there?!"
"An enemy?" Rin was startled but remained calm, crouching and slipping her hands into her coat pockets, fully alert.
If it was indeed an enemy, this could mark the beginning of her first battle in the Holy Grail War.
"They've fled already, moving very fast." Archer said. "It was a Servant. What should we do, Rin?"
Archer's tone implied whether they should pursue.
After careful consideration, Rin decided against pursuing.
First, her magical energy hadn't fully recovered since summoning Archer.
Second, the enemy's Master hadn't shown themselves, and they didn't know which class the Servant was. Pursuing without knowing their true intentions or strength wasn't wise.
Third, she wasn't sure if the enemy had gathered any information about them. The information gap between the two sides could determine the battle's outcome.
Additionally, according to Archer, the enemy's speed far surpassed theirs.
Archer agreed with Rin's decision.
At 9 PM.
Matou residence.
The fire in the living room's fireplace was dying down, and the kotatsu had long been put away by Shinji.
At this moment, Shinji was barefoot, lying on the sofa by the fireplace, resting his head on his hand, looking at a laptop screen, occasionally moving the mouse and tapping the keyboard.
"Brother, my bathroom's water heater seems to be broken. Can I use yours?"
"Sure." Shinji responded without looking up. Then, he turned around and added, "But there are more than two bathrooms in the house..."
Before he could finish, Shinji fell silent, several lines appearing on his forehead.
Standing at the living room door, wrapped only in a towel and partially exposed, was Sakura. Shinji sighed in exasperation. "Sakura, even though we're siblings and at home, you should be mindful of your age..."
Sakura stuck out her tongue. "Sorry, Brother. I only realized the water heater was broken after getting into the bathroom."
"Use another bathroom for now. We'll get it fixed tomorrow."
"Then I'll just use your bathroom for now."
"There's no need to use mine specifically..."
Before Shinji could finish, Sakura had already exited with a smile and closed the living room door behind her.
"The bathroom, huh..."
In the short time since Zouken's death, Sakura had indeed become more cheerful, but she was also becoming increasingly bold, Shinji thought to himself.
Meanwhile, at the twin towers, Bazett was listening to Rider's report of the day's findings after her patrol.
Due to certain reasons, Bazett had not yet revealed that she was alive, so she hadn't accompanied Rider.
"... Yes, it was wise not to act hastily."
Bazett said as she flexed her wrist.
"Finding four Servants in one day was beyond my expectations. The Assassin guarding Ryudou Temple, the Einzbern Berserker who was repelled, the witch in the temple gathering souls, and the Archer and his Master patrolling as well. The strongest seems to be the Berserker, whose stats allow him to take on six Servants alone. It's not a favorable situation..."