"Where are we going?"
"Ryuudou Temple!"
Ryou immediately mentioned a location.
The natural bounded fields formed there against spiritual beings made it the best place to build a fortress.
With so many enemies around, wandering wasn't ideal. Instead, building a stronghold and remaining in place while waiting for the enemy to act was a better strategy.
Having decided on this plan, he immediately thought of the famous Ryuudou Temple.
Before leaving, he turned to look back. From the hill, he could faintly see the spire of the church.
Given the commotion earlier, the fact that the church—just a few hundred meters away—remained completely silent was strange.
It should be noted that during the Fifth Holy Grail War, the final boss in one of the routes had hidden inside that seemingly dilapidated church.
This hidden force was quite powerful.
Yet, despite all the noise from earlier, there had been no response from the church.
Was that twisted priest planning to stay hidden like some shadowy figure?
Moreover, this Holy Grail War seemed odd in many ways.
Setting aside the issue with Musashi Miyamoto, who held a grudge against him, Illya and Rin Tohsaka's attitudes toward him were also bizarre. It was as if they already knew who he was, and the deep hatred in their eyes didn't seem fake.
Even Shirou Emiya had changed his name to Musashi Shirou, and the Servant he summoned wasn't Artoria but Musashi Miyamoto.
In short, everything was messed up. There was no longer any point in adhering to the original plot.
Ryou could only adapt to the situation as it unfolded.
The most urgent matter was to reach Ryuudou Temple as quickly as possible, establish a workshop, and respond to any changes from a position of strength.
Both Ryou and Medea could fly, and since it was nighttime, they chose the fastest and most convenient method—flying directly to Ryuudou Temple.
Ryou's instincts were spot on. Fate had already taken a sharp turn before he even arrived, and things were spiraling out of control.
...
Let's rewind time by 12 hours.
Raging flames, collapsing ruins, the screams of people...
It was like the depths of hell.
The suffocating heat wrapped around him like two venomous snakes.
"Ugh!"
Miyamoto Shirou suddenly sat up, his eyes taking in the ceiling of his family's dojo.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
A voice spoke from beside him.
"Sensei... I dreamed of that fire again..."
Wham!
A wooden sword immediately came down on his head. Shirou instinctively tried to dodge, but no matter how he moved, he couldn't avoid it. In the end, the sword landed on his head with a soft thud.
"Sensei, why did you hit me?"
Shirou clutched his head and looked helplessly at the woman in the red and blue swordsman outfit standing beside him.
"You keep having nightmares because your heart and your convictions aren't strong enough. This just proves your training is insufficient! As a swordsman, you cannot be bound by the shadows of the past. Cut them down and move forward!"
Though she was a woman, she had a heroic spirit that even men couldn't match.
For a moment, Shirou was completely mesmerized.
The woman before him, as she had claimed, was the great swordsman of the Sengoku period, Musashi Miyamoto.
Though Shirou didn't understand why the famous swordsman was a beautiful woman.
However, there was one thing Shirou remembered clearly to this day:
It was this woman, who called herself Musashi Miyamoto, who had saved him from that great fire 10 years ago, taken him as a disciple, and taught him the way of the sword.
Lost in thought, Shirou found himself spacing out.
Wham!
Another hit on the head.
"Falling in love with your teacher? Too bad, you're not my type~"
"Sensei..."
Shirou laughed bitterly, rubbing his head.
"You should hurry and prepare breakfast. I bet Taiga and the others will be here soon."
At that moment, a lively voice came from the entrance.
"Shirou~~! We're here! Is breakfast ready?"
"Coming!"
Shirou reflexively responded.
When he returned to the living room, two figures were already seated at the table.
One was a short-haired, energetic girl, Fujimura Taiga.
It was said she was the daughter of the local head of yakuza, and she was also Shirou's English teacher at Homurahara Academy.
The Fujimura family had once had a confrontation with his teacher, but the two families eventually became friends after some fighting.
This large mansion had even been provided to them by the Fujimura family for residence.
The other person at the table was a beautiful girl with long, dark blue, naturally wavy hair that resembled seaweed.
Noticing Shirou's gaze, the girl immediately shot him a look of disdain.
"Musashi-kun, you're too slow!"
"Sorry, Shinji-chan, the rice is already cooked. I'll start making the other dishes right away."
Shirou quickly apologized, tied his apron, and headed into the kitchen.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Musashi Miyamoto stayed behind to watch the house, while the other three headed to school.
Along the way, they encountered several familiar classmates, and Shirou greeted them politely, though Shinji barely acknowledged them.
Just as they reached the school entrance, they encountered a familiar figure dressed in red.
"Yo! Tohsaka!"
Shirou waved enthusiastically.
Shinji, on the other hand, turned her head away in irritation.
Tohsaka Rin, the epitome of a refined young lady, responded with a reserved smile.
"Oh my~ Isn't it Musashi and Matou?"
"Yeah."
Shinji, though reluctant, greeted her before quickly turning her head away, clearly not wanting to look at her. She muttered under her breath.
"Ugh, unlucky. Running into this fox first thing in the morning..."
But it seemed the person in question heard her loud and clear.
"Oh my~ Matou, do you have some complaint about me?"
Tohsaka Rin's face remained as sweet as ever, but to Shinji, it looked like the devil's sneer.
"No, nothing at all."
She backed down immediately.
Tohsaka Rin nodded in satisfaction.
"Well then, I'll see you both later."
"See you later."
After exchanging farewells, Tohsaka Rin elegantly turned and headed toward her classroom.
Left behind were a fuming Shinji and a somewhat awkward Shirou.
After much effort to calm Shinji down, the two headed to their classroom on the third floor.
"By the way, Shinji-chan, are you coming to my place tonight again?"
Shirou asked casually. From his tone, it was clear that Shinji often came over to mooch meals.
"Of course! I don't even want to go back to that house..."
Just as Matou Shinji was complaining, she suddenly froze.
As they reached the stairs, a figure appeared at the landing.
With the appearance of that figure, the temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees.
It was a girl of about 15 or 16. Though she wore the standard school uniform, it looked more like a queen's evening gown on her. Her figure was so voluptuous, it was hard to believe she was a high school student.
Her long, snow-white hair flowed behind her, adorned with a golden, Russian-style hairpiece. Her eyes, as red as rubies, were calm and still, and her face was so exquisitely beautiful that she resembled a doll.
The girl stood there silently, watching Shirou and Shinji from above without saying a word.
To be precise, the girl's gaze was more focused on Shinji.
"...Sakura, good morning."
Shirou forced himself to suppress the chill in his heart and greeted her.
"Good morning, Musashi-senpai."
The girl gave a slight nod, so small it was almost imperceptible.
On a certain worldline, the bond between them was the deepest, but now they were like strangers.
"S-Sakura..."
Shinji stammered as she greeted her.
The moment Sakura appeared, Shinji seemed afraid of something. She instinctively hid behind Shirou.
"Dear sister, come home early tonight. Don't forget."
An ethereal, icy voice rang out, and Sakura's eyes revealed an inexplicable emotion. The sun had not fully risen yet, and the shadow at the corner of the staircase perfectly enveloped her.
To them, the person standing in that shadow was not their sister or classmate, but some kind of terrifying monster.
Shinji seemed to recall an unpleasant memory. She instinctively hugged herself and began trembling, involuntarily leaning against Shirou.
Sakura cast a deep glance at Shinji before turning and quietly leaving.
Only long after she had left did the two seem released from the frozen state.
Trying to ease the tension, Shirou quickly changed the subject.
"Come to think of it, Sakura feels even colder now. No wonder the guys in our class call her the Ice Princess."
Shinji replied absentmindedly, "Ah..."
Her face was as pale as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.
Shirou couldn't help but tease her.
"What's wrong, Shinji-chan? You look terrible. Don't tell me you're scared of your sister..."
"How could I be scared of that monster...!"
Shinji exploded, shouting hysterically.
Halfway through her outburst, she seemed to realize something and abruptly stopped.
"Shinji-chan..."
Shirou gave her an awkward look.
Fortunately, someone came to the rescue.
"Yo! Musashi! Matou!"
Issei Ryuudou, wearing glasses, walked over from the other side of the hallway and greeted them.
"Good morning, Issei."
Shirou immediately waved in response, but Shinji pressed her lips tightly and remained silent.
It was then that Issei noticed Shinji's pale face.
"What's wrong with Matou? Is she sick?"
Then Issei turned to Shirou with a serious expression.
"Musashi, this won't do. How can you not take better care of your girlfriend?"
"Who's his girlfriend? You bald monk!"
Shinji immediately jumped up, her face flushing bright red, and pointed at Issei's nose.
"How rude! I haven't even taken my vows yet!"
"Just because you haven't doesn't mean you won't! Anyway, you're bound to go bald sooner or later, so I'm doing you a favor by helping you get used to it early. No need to thank me."
Perhaps Shinji had finally calmed down from the fear of her sister, as she started spewing venom at Issei.
"You...you...!"
Issei was so furious he couldn't find the words. He quickly clasped his hands together and began muttering a Buddhist prayer.
After finally calming himself down, Issei muttered under his breath.
"As expected, women truly are the enemy!"
"Well then, I'll head back to the student council. You two, I'll take my leave."
Issei quickly turned and fled the scene in an almost comical retreat.
"Hmph!"
Shinji puffed out her chest in pride as if she had won a great victory.
Shirou, who had been watching the entire exchange, could only smile awkwardly.
Before long, the two of them entered the classroom, greeted their classmates, and joked around as if everything was perfectly normal.
Time passed slowly during the tedious lessons.
Before they knew it, the school day had ended.
Shinji quickly packed her bag and turned toward Shirou.
"Musashi-kun, I'm heading home."
"Huh? You're not coming to my place tonight?"
Shirou looked surprised.
"Sakura's waiting for me at home. I won't be going over tonight."
As Shinji said this, her expression became somewhat strained as if she was deeply reluctant.
By this time, it was already dusk, and the dim light in the classroom made it hard for Shirou to notice Shinji's discomfort.
"I see. Well, be careful on your way home."
Shirou smiled and nodded.
As Shinji reached the door, she suddenly stopped, as though something had just come to mind. She turned halfway around.
"Musashi-kun..."
"What is it?"
"Don't stay at school too late tonight. Go home early."
It seemed like Shinji wanted to say more, but in the end, she hesitated and remained silent.
"I understand."
Though Shirou was puzzled, he still agreed.
"Well then, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Shinji's footsteps gradually faded into the distance, leaving Shirou alone in the classroom.
After packing up his things, Shirou made his way downstairs and happened to run into Ayako Mitsuzuri, the captain of the archery club.
"Yo! Musashi."
Ayako greeted him with the same carefree energy as always.
"Mitsuzuri, aren't you supposed to have club activities today?"
Noticing that Ayako wasn't wearing her usual archery uniform, Shirou couldn't help but ask.
"Ugh, don't even mention it. For some unknown reason, our esteemed principal decided to suspend all club activities for a while. No one is allowed to stay late at school."
Ayako's expression was one of frustration.
"Well, maybe it's for our safety. After all, there have been a few murders recently."
Shirou tried to comfort her.
"I see..."
Ayako then walked over to Shirou's side and playfully put her arm around his shoulder like a guy.
"Since you're not hanging out with your girlfriend today, how about doing me a small favor?"
"Mitsuzuri... Fine, fine, I'll help you. Now let go of me."
Embarrassed by Ayako's close contact, Shirou's face turned red as he smiled awkwardly.
"Great! The bows in the dojo need their strings adjusted. I'll leave that to you."
Ayako's face lit up with a mischievous grin.
"Huh!? You're the captain of the archery club, aren't you?"
"Well, what can I say? The recruits are just too useless. Besides, I've already made plans to hang out in the new shopping district with Saegusa and Himuro today... So, please! I'm begging you! It's a once-in-a-lifetime request!"
Ayako clasped her hands together and pleaded.
"Alright, alright..."
Shirou sighed.
"I knew I could count on you, Shirou. I'll treat you next time. See you tomorrow then!"
Ayako dashed off in a hurry.
Shirou could only shake his head helplessly and head toward the archery dojo.
...
Two hours later.
Shirou stood in the now spotless dojo, his mouth twitching.
"I got so into it, I even ended up cleaning the whole place."
Stretching his sore muscles, Shirou put on his jacket, ready to head home.
Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal came from the distant field.
PS: Shinji-chan <3