"So you're heading back?" At the Clock Tower's Big Ben residence, Lainis looked surprised after hearing that Daniel and Rin Tohsaka would be leaving temporarily.
"Are you going to prepare for the Holy Grail War?"
Waver wasn't surprised at all. In fact, had he not been caught up in the aftermath of Hatrass's schemes, he would've begun his own preparations already.
Although Hephaestion's Noble Phantasm was no match for Gray's third-stage unlocked Holy Spear, Hatrass had managed to escape using the Reverse of the Heart and fled via the Fairy Realm.
After his escape, the group returned to the Clock Tower. Not long after, Hazakura Ritsuri from the Department of Policies approached Waver and provided him with valuable intel suggesting Hatrass was plotting something major in the shadows—though the exact nature of the scheme remained unclear. That's why she had come to him for help.
Based on the intel Hazakura provided, Hatrass—whose real name was Kurou Hazakura—had once been a highly gifted and competent mage. But it was said that during an accident, his heart was stolen by a fae. Since then, his behavior had changed completely.
He had also been born with a Mystic Eye—specifically, the Eye of Usurpation. Despite its name, it was actually a rare but low-ranking Mystic Eye that could normally do little more than help find lost objects. However, it had since evolved into something capable of seizing the perspectives of other Mystic Eyes. That's why he had beheaded those seven Mystic Eye holders—so he could use their powers via his own eye.
"Yes, it's about time. If we don't start preparing now, it'll be too late."
Daniel had been interested in Waver's investigation into Hatrass, but the Holy Grail War took precedence. Besides, he could always catch up on Waver's findings later.
Speaking of this Fifth Holy Grail War, it was arguably the weakest set of Masters in history. Most didn't even bother attacking enemy Masters or used their Command Spells carelessly. If this had been the Fourth War, some of them wouldn't have survived past episode three.
If not for Kirei Kotomine and a certain Lamp King operating from the shadows, the war would hardly even feel like one.
Most of the Fifth War's Masters treated it casually and were completely unprepared. Compare that to the Fourth War, where the Three Founding Families had been laying plans years in advance.
"See you when it starts, then."
"I hope you show up on time. I've always wanted to meet His Majesty the Conqueror, after all."
Waver's words made it clear—he hadn't given up on the War. He just needed to wrap up the Hatrass situation first.
Daniel welcomed that. He still wanted to witness Ionioi Hetairoi and, more importantly, see what happened when Gray finally met Artoria.
"I'll go buy the tickets!"
Now that they were headed back to Fuyuki, Rin looked visibly excited. She'd once idolized the Clock Tower, but after Daniel had dragged her through all kinds of incidents there, her expectations had changed. Still, she would return eventually. After all, the Tohsaka lineage rested on her shoulders.
It had been her father Tokiomi's wish. In fact, had it not been for that, Rin wouldn't have even cared about the Holy Grail War. She had no particular wish to make upon the Grail.
"No need. Let's take a different route this time."
Daniel stopped her. The moment he recalled the thrill of soaring through the sky on his blue-and-white motorcycle, he knew exactly how he wanted to travel.
With Rin behind him, the bike raced through the sky—completely invisible, of course, to avoid detection.
"You scared that kid back there."
"You don't think it was a magical experience for him? Besides, you were way more excited than I was."
In the air, Rin scolded him. But Daniel countered, reminding her that she was the one who waved at a girl sitting by the window on a passing plane, terrifying her in the process.
After the sky-ride, their first stop in Fuyuki was Shirou's house—naturally, for a free meal. Ever since Sakura had moved in, their relationship had improved significantly. The side effect? Shirou's teacher had gained so much weight that he'd resumed kendo just to slim down.
"Now, what kind of company should I start? The internet's just taking off, and smartphones too. Might as well start there."
Once back in Fuyuki, Rin went to school to remove her leave of absence, while Daniel began setting up a tech company. His first move was buying out a department store and setting up a magic field inside to boost customer purchase intent.
"A Jewel-ranked Mystic Eye? That's some luck you've got."
At Chaldea, Da Vinci was ecstatic as she examined the Bubble Mystic Eye in a culture pod. Even for the Mystic Eye Collection Train, such a high-grade eye was rare. If Hatrass hadn't manipulated Caleb and made him feel the eye was uncontrollable, he wouldn't have sold it.
The Bubble Eye's greatest power was that it could launch attacks from the past onto the present. Used skillfully, it could injure even Servants.
Da Vinci and Alter Jeanne had returned to Chaldea after visiting Jeanne's hometown. As for Fujimaru and Mash, they should've already started repairing the Second Singularity. But considering their lack of strength, they were told to train a bit more first.
This wasn't a game—this was reality. If you're going to fix humanity's foundation, you need all the advantage you can get. With Fafnir's blood, scales, and bones in hand, Fujimaru could definitely be enhanced. And Da Vinci could now make more Mystic Code outfits, since supplies were no longer an issue.
"Including Illyasviel, huh? Never mind. She'll show up during the Fifth War anyway. For now, I'll hop into another parallel world. Maybe one day I'll turn this world into something like Today's Menu for the Emiya Family."
With Zouken dead and Sakura's situation resolved, the Heaven's Feel route was officially averted. Once Kirei and the Lamp King were taken care of, and the Grail's corruption fixed, everything would be perfect. Maybe it really could turn into a peaceful cooking slice-of-life.
"Speak of the devil—Illyasviel? And they're here too? Looks like my luck is holding strong."
Stepping out of the Portal of Arcane Paths, Daniel found himself watching a scene that immediately made him grin. A young girl—clearly Illyasviel—and another girl were fighting a blindfolded Servant. On the sidelines were none other than Rin Tohsaka and Luvia—those eternal rivals.
From the scene alone, Daniel could already tell which world he had entered. It wasn't the first parallel world he'd planned to visit, but it was definitely second on his list.
Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA. That other girl fighting with Illya had to be Miyu. And what Daniel wanted most from this world were those Heroic Spirit Class Cards.
"Who are you?"
The moment he appeared, Rin and Luvia—who had been arguing—joined forces and turned their gems on him.
"We meet again, Rin Tohsaka, Luvia."
Daniel smiled and waved.
"You know us? Who are you?"
"Gáe Bolg!"
As the standoff continued, Miyu activated a Class Card, transformed into a Lancer, and used a Noble Phantasm to defeat the enemy Servant—likely Rider Medusa.
"If I use that against Cú Chulainn, it'll be an interesting duel. Still, nothing would beat using the Lamp King's own Noble Phantasm against him. That might just send him back to the Throne of Heroes in rage."
As Daniel pondered, Miyu retrieved the Heroic Spirit Card and returned to Luvia's side, eyeing Daniel cautiously without breaking her transformation. Illya, however, only looked at him curiously as she returned to Rin's side.
"You want to know who I am? I'm Rin's boyfriend."
Daniel grinned, struck by sudden mischief.
Of all the Fate worlds, this one was among the few peaceful ones. Compared to the others—burned timelines, murdered Illyas—this was practically paradise.
"Lies! I don't even know you!"
Rin's face turned beet red. Seeing Luvia smirking, she nearly lost control of her gems.
"It's true! Look—here are our photos together."
Daniel pulled out his phone and opened the gallery. There were numerous pictures of him with Rin at the Clock Tower, some of them rather affectionate.
"Impossible! I've never seen you at the Clock Tower."
This version of Rin had apparently attended the Clock Tower early. She recognized the backgrounds instantly.
"Wait… I'm in some of these too. That's odd. I've never seen you either."
Luvia, in contrast, was much calmer.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Just a joke. But I really am Rin's boyfriend—just not this version. A parallel world version."
"Parallel world? Are you saying you're a Second Magician? Impossible!"
Rin and Luvia both shouted in disbelief. After all, collecting Class Cards was part of the Second Magician's test for choosing a disciple. And unlike some, this version of the Second Magician seemed relatively sane.
"There's no such thing as impossible. But this isn't the place for such talk. Why don't we move somewhere more private, and I'll prove it to you?"
"There's another Rin Onee-chan?"
After returning with the group to the Fuyuki home of Fifth War's Rin, everyone was finally convinced.
"Another me? This is too much fun. Say, Rin—this one's way more refined than you. You're so rough."
Ruby floated around Rin from Illya's world, inspecting her closely before commenting in disdain.
Though they looked the same, their demeanor said otherwise.
"What did you just say?!"
Rin grabbed Ruby and tugged with all her might. Fortunately, Ruby was nearly indestructible.
"See? Rough, just like I said."
Even while being manhandled, Ruby refused to back down, angering Rin even more.
"Elder sister, even if what you say is true, maybe don't blurt it out in public..."
Sapphire finally spoke, stabbing Rin with politeness. Though she seemed reserved, she was just as cunning—after all, she abandoned Luvia for Miyu.
"Ahahaha! She's so rough! This is hilarious!" Luvia laughed heartily.
"Shut up!"
Rin tossed Ruby aside and lunged at Luvia.
"So that's another me…"
Fifth War's Rin watched the other version of herself with a hand on her forehead. She hadn't expected her alternate self to be so... that. Though seeing the other Luvia was fun—it gave her a reason to poke fun at her own.
She didn't realize she was dragging her alternate self down with her.
"So the Fourth Grail War played out differently here."
After the chaos settled, the two Rins introduced themselves, and the group began to compare notes. Daniel soon noticed some key differences.
In Illya's world, Tokiomi died during the Fourth War—not because of betrayal, but slain by a Servant. Apparently, he didn't summon Gilgamesh this time.
Also, Sakura was never sent to the Matou family. In fact, the Matous had fallen into decline and the Three Families system was never established. The reason? Zolgen Makiri had died early on.
Instead, Sakura was adopted by Luvia's family and raised as a mage who, like Luvia, enjoyed wrestling.
"Those Class Cards—you know, I could help. Isn't it a little cruel to have kids fighting Servants for you?"
"That's not our fault! It's all because of Ruby and Sapphire!"
Rin and Luvia quickly defended themselves. They hadn't wanted Illya and Miyu to fight either.
"Well, you two were too weak. What else could we do?"
And so, Rin and Luvia resumed bickering with Ruby and Sapphire. Even Daniel had to admit, these two seemed dumber than the versions he knew from the Fifth War.
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