"Go on, get whatever you like."
Taking the wallet Shinji handed her, Saber-chan stuffed the remaining okonomiyaki into her mouth, shot one more glare at Saber, then turned and left.
Since it was her Master's order, she had to obey, not because she wanted to eat, but because it was her Master's command!
It's really unreasonable that a black card can't be used at these small stalls and only cash is accepted. If it could, I would have already... cough cough!
Watching Saber-chan on her tiptoes at a stall, ordering takoyaki with great "generosity," Saber clenched her fists and clicked her tongue in frustration.
At that moment, Saber completely viewed this other version of herself as a different entity, not herself.
This meant that these two Sabers couldn't coexist peacefully in daily life, much like Shirou Emiya and Archer.
"Matou Shinji, what possibility did she mean? I don't believe such a possibility exists!"
"Anyway, don't worry about it. Just consider her as another being and don't let her ideas influence you. That's probably the best."
Shinji spoke as he put his hands in his pockets, his gaze shifting to behind Shirou, "You've seen similar things, right? Like with Archer and Emiya."
"It's different from Shirou and Archer..."
Saber's rebuttal was cut off by Shinji, who suddenly looked serious, "Saber, it's not different at all. In fact, it's quite similar. You should heed my advice. The answer you seek will eventually be found in this era. That ending—returning to Avalon—is the best Happy End for you."
"And she (Saber-chan) will have her own ending. You should understand that because of your different experiences, you are no longer the same person in a certain sense. If you care too much, you might lose the Happy End that you can originally grasp."
After all, I don't want to be bothered by two Sabers!
Shinji silently added this thought.
"But... but I care too much to ignore it! Hearing such things, as a king, how can I not care?"
"It's my fault for not warning her in advance, but you'd better remember what I said. Besides, she might change her mind tomorrow and choose the same path as you."
"I..."
Saber wanted to say more but eventually gave up.
However, at this moment, Illya, suddenly showing her smarts, fixed her ruby-like eyes on Shinji and spoke up.
"I think the hope that Saber mentioned involves you, Matou Shinji..."
Seeing the barely perceptible cunning in Illya's eyes, Shinji couldn't help but admire this seemingly harmless little demon.
She really never gives up trying to get Saber away from Shirou so that Shirou only has her!
"Is that true, Matou Shinji?"
Under Saber's intense gaze, Shinji, feeling the pressure, casually replied, "I've said not to be influenced. Such a thing is impossible in this universe. Illya, don't talk nonsense. I'm just an ordinary person! Enough, I need to find Sakura and Rider. Who knows where they've wandered off to..."
With that, Shinji turned to leave.
I would never do such a thing, but...
I'm afraid she'll come to me herself!
"Wait! Matou Shinji!"
Saber grabbed Shinji's shoulder. Shirou, watching the scene, felt awkward and unsure of what to say.
Of course, Shirou didn't understand what was going on.
"What's happening?"
Rin, strolling over with Archer, saw Saber holding Shinji and was confused. Saber and Shinji should have no connection, so what was going on?
As for Archer, he stood with his arms crossed, as usual, acting as if he knew everything.
"Explain clearly, Matou Shinji!"
"Didn't I already explain clearly?"
Shinji sighed, "Don't be influenced by others, Saber. Otherwise, you might lose everything and the happy ending you could have had, resulting in deeper despair. Is that what you want?"
"But..."
"No buts!"
With that, Shinji broke free from Saber's grip and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Within seconds, he was gone.
A few seconds later, seeing Saber standing silently with her head down, Shirou cautiously called out.
"Sa...ber? How about eating something?"
Surprisingly, for the first time, Saber didn't respond, remaining silent with her head down.
"What happened? Did Shinji do something again?" Rin asked, waving her hand dismissively. "Just treat it normally. He's that kind of guy."
"I heard everything..."
Turning around, Rin saw Shinji behind her, looking scornful. She sneered, "So what if you heard? I didn't say anything wrong."
"Forget it, I'm not in the mood to argue with you today." Shinji said, looking at Saber who still had her head down. "Saber, if you're that troubled, come along. I need to talk to Saber-chan anyway, and anyone else who wants to come can join."
With that, Shinji turned and walked away. After a couple of steps, he stopped and looked up at the sky, where fireworks were still bursting.
"Can't even watch fireworks peacefully..."
…
At the Matou residence, in the drawing room.
At ten o'clock at night.
Standing like a teacher with a pointer in hand before a whiteboard covered in notes, Shinji pointed to the board, explaining to the attentive Saber and others.
In Shinji's special class were Shirou, Rin, Sakura, Illya, both big and small Sabers, Rider, and Archer—eight people in total.
"…So, do you all understand what I've explained so far? To summarize, even if you, Saber, go back and change the past, the world's rules and the self-correcting nature of history will eventually lead to Britain's downfall."
"Yes, I understand," Saber nodded, then pointed to the young Saber. "But what about the hope she mentioned? How is it related to you?"
"It has nothing to do with me. Next question."
"Don't try to brush it off!"
Seeing Saber's firm stance, Shinji knew that if he didn't explain, she might turn out like Saber-chan. He decided to reveal the truth.
But instead of directly stating it, he looked at Saber-chan, who was listening intently while munching on snacks from the festival.
"Saber-chan, let me make it clear. Changing the past isn't just resetting history. Going back means making the present your past, and the past your future. Changing the past means destroying this future and this era. Are you prepared for that?"
Seeing the normally playful Shinji turn serious, Saber-chan fell silent.
"I know you aren't prepared for that, but because you're my Servant, I gave another option—one that I can promise if you make up your mind."
Shinji drew a long line on the whiteboard, marking the start as Britain and the end as the extinction of humanity and the world.
"If you don't want to destroy this era but still want to change the past, the only way is to wait for the natural extinction of the planet and humanity. If that day comes and I have the power, I'll help you go back and change the past."
"I see. That would indeed be the perfect solution since the world would already be destroyed," Rin nodded.
"No, there's a bigger problem," Illya shook her head. "The waiting time could be incredibly long, thousands or even tens of thousands of years. And as we said, the world's rules would still correct the altered history."
Shinji explained, "That's why I mentioned having the power to counter the world's rules. And as long as Saber-chan has enough mana, she can exist indefinitely."
"I'm talking about your lifespan!"
Illya interjected but then noticed Shinji's calm demeanor. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Matou Shinji, could it be that your lifespan..."
Ignoring Illya, Shinji turned to Saber-chan, seriously asking, "What do you say? A conclusion that might take thousands or even tens of thousands of years to reach—do you accept it? And even then, I might not have the power to counter the world's rules. Your wait could be in vain."
After Shinji's words, Saber-chan lowered her head, silent, her clenched fists indicating an internal struggle.
The hope was faint and required a long wait. Such a gamble, barely a gamble, was filled with despair.
Everyone present thought the same.
"I..." Saber-chan opened her mouth but then fell silent, clearly not prepared for such a choice.
As Shinji expected, he calmly turned to erase the whiteboard, preparing to dismiss the class.
But just as he was about to push the whiteboard away and announce the end, Saber-chan's voice rang out.
"I want to try, Shinji!"
Shinji nearly stumbled. Turning back, he looked at Saber-chan with twitching eyes, then took a deep breath.
"Are you serious?"