Under the pitch-black night sky, stars dotted the heavens, with a crescent moon casting a faint silver glow across the world. Its soft, cold light illuminated the figure of a silver-haired loli—no, the silver-haired girl, Kaguya.
Kaguya sighed heavily. After all the years of hard work, she felt like she had been sent back to square one. Now that she had entered the real world as a Heroic Spirit, her powers were naturally constrained. The Holy Grail War was originally a competition between seven magi and their respective Servants, but her appearance as the eighth Servant had already disrupted the established rules.
Without a proper Master to supply her with magical energy, Kaguya's existence in this world was tenuous. In the original story, Heroic Spirits, or Servants, relied on their Masters for magical energy. Without it, they could not sustain themselves for long—something even Heroic Spirit Shirou Emiya, also known as Archer, experienced when he barely lasted a few days without a Master.
Even though Kaguya possessed immense power, relying solely on her own energy was still challenging. This version of her was a projection, not her true body. If her real body had manifested, things would be much simpler.
As a result, her form had been limited, transforming her into a loli to conserve magical energy. Magic, much like chakra, shared a similar essence. Though their usage varied slightly, the fundamental principles were the same. Essentially, they were both forms of energy. A different name, but at the core, it was all the same. In other words, "all roads lead to the same source."
Kaguya gazed at her reflection in the water, frowning at the sight of the beautiful loli staring back at her. "System, what is it with you and lolis? You're practically obsessed."
Although she liked lolis, she certainly didn't want to become one herself.
Night had already fallen, and the bustling city had quieted down. Neon lights flickered, but most of the city was still, save for the occasional broken streetlamp buzzing and flickering.
Grumble
Suddenly, a loud noise broke the silence.
"Hungry already?" Kaguya muttered, rubbing her small stomach. "Looks like I need to find a Master. But in such a big city, it's not going to be easy, especially since there aren't many suitable candidates."
Kaguya began to understand why Saber always ate so much. Without a steady supply of magical energy, Servants needed to consume large amounts of food to sustain themselves. Otherwise, their power would rapidly diminish.
Surveying the modern city, Kaguya confirmed that she was indeed in Fuyuki City. She pondered the timing of the Holy Grail War, trying to gauge how far along the plot had progressed and how best to insert herself into the conflict.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from the distance. Kaguya frowned, turning toward the sound. Under the flickering lights of the street, a young man with orange hair and a somewhat attractive face stepped into view. He had a slim, tall figure, but something about him exuded a faint, unsettling aura.
"Hey, little girl," the orange-haired man called out, waving as he walked over with a bright smile, eyes narrowing to slits. "It's late. Why aren't you home? There are bad people out there, you know."
Kaguya furrowed her brows but said nothing. She felt no goodwill toward this man, whose demeanor she found irritating.
When the man reached her, his eyes momentarily widened as if he were mesmerized. After a brief pause, a smile spread across his face as he said, "You look hungry. How about you come with me to my place? I've got plenty of good food."
The silver-haired loli remained motionless, her brow furrowing further as she pointed first at him and then into the distance.
The orange-haired man seemed confused. "What's wrong? Not satisfied with that offer?"
Kaguya remained silent, her delicate fingers resting on her chin as she appeared to be deep in thought.
"Oh, I get it," the man said, clapping his hands as if he had a sudden realization. "You're worried your parents will be concerned because it's late, right? Don't worry! I'll call them, and it won't take long."
"I'm sorry you misunderstood," Kaguya finally said, her patience wearing thin. Her tone was cold as she added, "I was telling you to get lost."
The man blinked in confusion, as if he hadn't fully grasped what she had said. "What did you say?"
"Can't you understand plain language?" Kaguya snapped. "I said, get lost."
Realizing he had just been insulted by a little girl, the man's face twitched with anger. However, he forced a smile. "There's no need to be scared. I'm not a bad guy. If you don't want to come to my place, I can buy you lots of yummy food."
"Yummy food?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow. "You're saying you have money?"
Excited that she seemed interested, the man quickly nodded. "Yes! I've got lots of money, and I can buy you anything you want."
"Well then, thanks, big brother," Kaguya smiled sweetly, her expression brightening.
The man was momentarily stunned by her radiant smile, completely captivated until he noticed a hint of impatience flash across her face.
"Don't mention it! How about a piece of chocolate while we head to the restaurant?" he offered, pulling something from his pocket and twirling it between his fingers. "We'd better hurry; the restaurant might close soon."
The silver-haired loli stepped forward, causing the man's smirk to widen, but his grin froze in place as her small fist shot out, slamming into his stomach.
Thud!
The man's mouth opened as he spat blood and saliva. The force of the punch nearly knocked him unconscious.
With a dull thud, the man collapsed onto his knees, clutching his stomach in pain. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his back was soaked.
Meanwhile, Kaguya casually patted down his clothes and found his wallet. Opening it, she frowned in disappointment. "This is what you call money?"
Ignoring the man's shocked expression, Kaguya pocketed the wallet and calmly walked away, leaving him groaning in pain.