The first week of school had already passed.
Maybe it was because he promised Sakura, or maybe it was because he missed this kind of daily life, but this week, Shinji's behavior was flawless, even according to Taiga.
It's worth mentioning that Kiritsugu and his good buddy Julian had indeed transferred to Homurahara Academy, the same grade as Sakura.
Kiritsugu, due to personal interest, joined the archery club as an ordinary member. According to Sakura, Kiritsugu was skilled in archery and very helpful. Although his appearance was slightly rugged, it added to his friendliness, making the vice-president position almost certain for him.
Julian became a follower of Issei, working with him in the student council. His serious demeanor and meticulous work made Issei very satisfied. It seemed it wouldn't take long for Julian to officially take over as the student council president from Issei, relieving him of the stress of not finding a suitable successor in his final year of high school.
Miyu had also officially transferred to elementary school after the summer vacation, becoming a fifth-grader at Homurahara Elementary.
Thanks to Kiritsugu's guidance during the summer, Miyu's elementary school life didn't have too many mishaps due to her lack of common knowledge.
Ruby, the loli-con, was quite happy, as she could secretly follow Miyu to school, recording the growth of elementary school students and keeping an eye on their development.
The only one not too happy was... Illya.
Although Illya had said she would never go to elementary school, she was troubled by the fact that her only friend spent all day at school.
As a result, almost every day after school, Illya could be seen at the gates of Homurahara Elementary, waiting for Miyu.
Watching Miyu say goodbye to her new friends at school, Illya felt a strange, faint sense of loss and couldn't help but recall Shinji's suggestion during the summer when they visited his house.
Of course, it was just a thought.
After all, her age was a factor. A grown woman with a driver's license going to elementary school would be really strange, not to mention... if she went to elementary school, what about Shirou? She had heard that Shirou would be going to college in Okinawa after graduating from high school next year. She had to follow him, or else her route with Shirou would be over.
In summary, Fuyuki appeared calm on the surface.
And in the shadows... it was the same. At least, there wouldn't be any more foreign magicians causing trouble locally. If such a situation arose and the local leyline management couldn't handle it, a request to the Hidden Group would rally the entire organization to resolve it.
Even though it was a restructured organization, in some sense it was a new entity. The Hidden Group's energy and vitality were unmatched by any other mystical organization in the world.
Though it might become corrupt like the upper echelons of the Mage's Association in many years, that wouldn't happen now.
Moreover, real power was centralized in Shinji's hands to some extent, though he had no interest in managing the magicians, leaving them to self-govern. If any major issues arose, as long as Shinji was alive, there would be no major upheaval.
Due to the influence of the Tohsaka family, Rin quickly became one of the core members of the Hidden Group after joining. Reflecting on the events of the year, Rin sometimes felt a bit emotional.
This seemingly ordinary man with a bit of a bad taste turned out to be so extraordinary. Since the Holy Grail War, he had continuously changed her perception of him.
This led to their current situation.
...
"Hey, if you touch me, I'll castrate you."
On the rooftop, Rin, sitting on Shinji's lap to avoid the dirty floor, spoke coldly while eating her lunch.
"You mean I can touch you anywhere except your hands and feet?"
Shinji asked seriously, raising his eyebrows, causing Rin's eye to twitch. After setting down her sandwich wrapper, she gave him a punch and called him an old pervert.
After fooling around for a while, they returned to a semblance of normalcy... with Rin in Shinji's embrace. Of course, Rin only allowed Shinji to be an immobile chair or a backrest.
If he dared to move, he'd get a smack.
"Are you going out again?"
Shinji was taken aback. Rin was indeed sharp, having sensed something quickly. Before he could respond, Rin looked up at him with disdain.
"After all, you wouldn't think of me unless it's for times like this. I know you. You must be planning to go away, and that's why you're doing this, right?"
"Yes." Shinji nodded, not hiding anything.
"What? Are you taking me with you?"
Shinji shook his head. Taking one person would cause Sakura and the others to explode. Even if he secretly took one person, there would be complaints and silent treatments when he returned.
That would be unpleasant and put him in a passive position.
"Tsk!"
Rin clicked her tongue, cursing him inwardly.
"What's the point? Are you researching mysteries and powers of other worlds? That would strip me of my life's meaning!"
"Huh?" Rin was puzzled.
Glancing at Rin, Shinji casually said, "Like the meaning of striving for strength. If there's nothing or no one important to protect, wouldn't it all become meaningless?"
"So what are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying you can just be a weakling."
Instantly, Rin felt irritated, but after a moment's thought, she understood. He seemed to be saying that striving to protect important things or people was what gave meaning...
Blushing, Rin turned her head away, her twin tails brushing against Shinji's face as she did.
"Who needs your protection? Don't get the wrong idea, you scumbag!"
"If you don't need it, that's fine. After all, there are plenty of other delicate girls who need a strong man to..."
Smack!
Rin instantly turned back, grabbing Shinji's neck with both hands, smiling brightly but with no warmth, her eye twitching.
"I'll really castrate you! And tell me, you pervert, do you have other women besides Bazett and Rider?"
Shinji, who wouldn't lie about such things, silently shook his head.
"No."
He wasn't lying. While Bazett and Rider could be called women, Sakura and Saber-chan were just girls.
There's a difference between girls and women!
"Really?"
"Really."
Shinji raised three fingers in an oath (four).
...
"Hmm... it still tastes like sandwiches."
Shinji smacked his lips, making a comment, which earned him a hard punch from Rin.
Bam!!
"Who asked you to comment?!"
Rin was furious, her molars grinding as she wished she could rub this scumbag's face into the ground! How did she end up giving her first kiss to such a scumbag? Damn it!
"And I rinsed my mouth many times and ate more than one mint candy!"
"Really? I didn't notice. How about we try again?"
"Shut up!!"
...
In the evening, at the Matou residence.
In the living room, Saber-chan noticed her Master's unusually good mood.
"Did something good happen, Shinji?"
"Something like that. The progress bar moved from 99 to 99.1."
"Although I don't understand, congratulations, Shinji."
"I think if you don't understand, it's best not to congratulate me, Saber."
Young Gil's voice came from the side, causing Shinji's face to darken. He turned to see the polite yet familiar Young Gil.
"Why are you in my house?"
"Because I sensed something interesting might happen."
"No! Go home!"
"Don't be so stingy, big brother. Didn't I help you willingly before? Bringing me along for fun won't hurt, I promise not to cause trouble, big brother."
"I said no! Go home!"
"Being stingy isn't good."
"There's nothing wrong with it! Go home!"
"Geez... I..."
Before Young Gil could finish, Shinji picked him up and politely showed him out.
Closing the door, Shinji dusted his hands.
Not even Gilgamesh came to join in, so why was Young Gil sticking around? Kids really are a handful.
...
Sakura, having sensed something, spent the evening chatting with Shinji.
Rider, who also sensed something, tactfully left the living room to Shinji and Sakura, heading to Shinji's room to wait.
As for Saber-chan, although she felt the good sibling atmosphere between Shinji and Sakura, she didn't notice her Master was about to leave again.
After a late-night snack, she went to her room and slept with the lone survivor of Shinji's purge, Lion No. 1.
...
"Brother... you know, originally I was brought to the Matou family to prepare for the Holy Grail War fifty years later..."
"Uh... right, I think."
Seeing Sakura's blushing face, Shinji sensed something was off.
"Grandfather wanted me to..." Sakura blushed and glanced at her lower abdomen, "...bear a strong Matou magician bloodline for the Matou family. In other words..."
She looked up, her eyes darting away shyly.
"...Grandfather wanted me to marry you someday. When we were training in magic, he always talked about looking forward to the day..."
Sakura's voice trailed off, her expression indicating the seriousness of her words.
"...to seeing... our child."
So that's why you set up a shrine for Zouken and continue to pray for him on holidays?
Shinji thought to himself.