Rin pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "You make it sound so simple. Do you think relics are cheap? They're very expensive!"
"But doesn't your family have relics left over from participating in previous wars? Can't you just use those?"
Rin: Can I say no?
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Rin's head. Her eyes widened, and her pupils trembled.
"No, wait... That broken catalyst... Could it be... the relic my father left me?!"
"Although I don't know what it is, it's very likely."
"Ah! I made another mistake..."
Rin clutched her head in regret. Even though she didn't know which Heroic Spirit the relic was associated with, she firmly believed it was related to a strong and suitable Heroic Spirit for her!
"I even reminded you in advance not to mess up, really~"
Seeing Shinji's hands spread in a gesture of exasperation or perhaps schadenfreude, Rin couldn't help but retort, "I'm still better than you! You disgrace of the Matou family! And don't underestimate me, even if there was a mistake in the Heroic Spirit summoning, I will still win in the end!"
"Say whatever you want~" Shinji shrugged indifferently at Rin's mockery. "And even if your magical talent is indeed excellent, are you sure you and your Servant can handle Saber? From what I know, the three knight classes have very high Magic Resistance, and Saber's is the highest among them. Although I don't know what kind of magecraft the Tohsaka family uses, it likely won't be very effective against Saber."
"Saber is the strongest..."
Shirou looked at Saber, who was sitting calmly, with some surprise, and Saber straightened up, clearly pleased by Shinji's words.
"Uh," Rin clenched her fists again, her face showing some annoyance.
"That's right. Normally, the Saber class is the strongest. If you could properly supply Saber with mana, although I can't say you'll definitely win since the situation is always changing, you would have a steady chance of making it to the end. With a bit of strategy, the Holy Grail would practically be yours."
"Shinji, it sounds too simple when you say it like that."
"No, it's a fact!"
Saber spoke with a tone that brooked no argument.
Shinji's words had given Saber a favorable impression of Shirou's friend.
It proves that people who speak well are always popular in any era!
"Hmph!" Rin snorted, "It has to be exactly as you said. The current situation isn't like that. If Saber's mana runs out and can't be replenished..."
"Ah, indeed. So some tactics are necessary. For instance," Shinji suddenly realized something, "Wait a minute, am I saying too much? It feels like I'm becoming involved in the Holy Grail War! This is bad!"
"Are you just realizing this now?! If you keep talking, you'll become Emiya-kun's collaborator!" Rin said irritably.
"Anyway, that's all there is to it," Shinji shrugged, looking at Shirou. "Ordinary people dragged into a mage's conflict usually end up dead, so I can't say more. I've told you everything I can. After you seek protection from the war's Overseer, I won't have anything to do with the Holy Grail War anymore."
"Alright..."
Shirou seemed somewhat reluctant but understood the reasoning. If Shinji kept talking, he could be fully dragged into the war as a collaborator. Shirou knew that ordinary people who get involved with mages usually don't meet a good end.
Seeing Rin biting her thumb, seemingly pondering something, Shinji spoke to Shirou again.
"One last piece of advice: be careful not to let anyone take Saber away, especially someone who hoped to summon Saber but couldn't. So try to stay with your Servant as much as possible, even when you sleep."
"Wh-what are you saying!" Shirou blushed, sneaking a glance at Saber. "How could I agree to that?!"
Saber spoke up, "No, your friend's advice is sound. Shirou, you do need to protect yourself. Starting tonight, I will sleep in the same room as you."
"No one would agree to that!"
Shirou's face turned red, and he shouted loudly, showing his pure-heartedness.
At this moment, Rin, who had been caught off guard, squinted her eyes and looked kindly at Shinji, "Hey, your last remark makes you a collaborator, doesn't it?"
"If that's the case, then my previous advice about not messing up counts too," Shinji shrugged nonchalantly.
"Uh!" Rin couldn't find any words to refute Shinji and could only curse him silently in her heart.
"There is one more thing I didn't mention to avoid upsetting you."
"What is it?"
Shinji smirked slightly, leaned closer to Rin, and whispered in her ear, "My family has many relics from past Holy Grail Wars, including ones that can summon powerful Saber-class heroes. If you had asked earlier, I might have lent you one for Sakura's sake."
"What did you just say?" Rin was completely stunned, her eyes staring blankly at Shinji.
At 3 a.m., Shinji and his companions left the Emiya residence and headed to Shinto.
Unlike the original story, Shirou didn't refuse and straightforwardly accepted the suggestion to go to Shinto. Another difference was that this time they didn't walk.
In a luxurious black sedan with a compartment separated from the front, Shinji lounged with his legs crossed, scrolling through his phone.
Seeing the touchscreen phone without buttons in Shinji's hand, Shirou showed some curiosity.
"Is this the new type of mobile phone being promoted on TV recently?"
"Yes. Emiya, you should consider getting a mobile phone too. It's much more convenient than the old-fashioned landline."
Wrapped in a raincoat, Saber leaned in with wide eyes, staring curiously at the phone in Shinji's hand and the video playing on it.
"Although I was infused with knowledge of this era, this kind of thing isn't within my understanding."
Shirou kindly explained, "It's like a more convenient handheld computer with phone, camera, multimedia, and internet functions. I remember the TV infomercial said it was a revolutionary product, but it's very expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of yen, which isn't affordable for students."
"Since our company spent a large research budget to develop it, selling it too cheaply would result in a loss."
"Indeed." Shirou nodded, then suddenly realized something. "Wait, your family's company... The current top Japanese company, Mt. Group, that makes this phone, is owned by your family?!"
"Yes, that's right."