"What's wrong? You look so distracted."
The biting winter wind and snow swept across the rooftop.
Alvin gently patted Tohsaka Rin's shoulder, pulling the girl back from her earlier thoughts into reality as she looked up and instinctively glanced at Alvin, then lightly shook her head with a forced smile. "It's nothing... just the wind making my body feel a bit uncomfortable."
Alvin gave the girl a deep look and smiled. "Anyway, let's head downstairs for now. The enemy Servant probably won't attack again anytime soon."
Though he could tell his Master seemed to have something on her mind, sometimes it was better to give the other person a little private space.
Rin hesitated for a moment. "But we still haven't found Sakura..."
Alvin shook his head. "You only have a normal human body. If you catch a cold, it wouldn't be worth it."
With that, he took the girl's wrist without waiting for protest and headed toward the rooftop exit.
The girl instinctively looked up at him, hesitated slightly, but ultimately lowered her head and followed Alvin off the rooftop.
The indoor temperature was noticeably warmer.
Tohsaka Rin no longer shivered lightly from the cold as she had at first.
She raised her head, sneaking peeks at the black-robed young man walking ahead with an unusual look in her eyes, appearing as though she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Alvin turned his head to glance at the refined, innocent girl and asked curiously, "Rin, why do you keep sneaking glances at me?"
"I-I..."
The girl's face instantly flushed red. Becoming even more flustered under Alvin's gaze, a hint of deer-in-headlights panic flashed in her bright, beautiful eyes as she quickly looked away.
One hand lightly twisted a strand of hair near her forehead, stealing occasional glances at Alvin.
After a long pause, she puffed out her cheeks, seeming to throw caution to the wind as she looked up at Alvin and asked seriously, "I'm just a bit confused... You're definitely Assassin class, right? Why do you feel so different from the Assassins I know?"
Assassin was universally considered the weakest class in direct combat in the Holy Grail War; that was the consensus among nearly all Masters, and Rin had always thought so too.
That was why, when Alvin had carried her up to the rooftop earlier, Rin had actually been quite worried.
Yet... just now, Alvin as an Assassin had repelled Rider head-on... Was that really the kind of parameters an Assassin should have?
Even now, recalling the scene she had witnessed, the girl felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, no one would believe what had just happened, right?
"Assassins aren't all meant solely for intelligence gathering or assassinating enemy Masters, but the class does impose considerable restrictions on me."
Alvin said.
In his Saber state, he actually leaned more toward using a variety of Noble Phantasms...
In the Assassin class, the power of his Noble Phantasms was far inferior to the Saber class... but in exchange, his personal parameters received a massive boost.
To put it bluntly, Alvin in the Assassin class was a "triple-red" Servant who relied on basic attacks.
Tohsaka Rin tilted her head, still not quite understanding Alvin's words.
But before she could press him further, a familiar figure passed by from the stairwell making the girl's brow furrow slightly as she muttered instinctively, "Shinji...?"
Alvin quietly faded into spiritual form, silently guarding Rin's side.
Hearing that extremely familiar voice, Matou Shinji instinctively looked up. Surprise quickly appeared on his face.
Hands in his pockets, he smiled.
"Oh, it's you... I heard you took the day off for a cold. Why'd you come to school anyway, Tohsaka?"
Rin didn't take the bait.
Her expression remained cool. "Have you seen Sakura today?"
"Sakura...?"
Matou Shinji felt a flicker of confusion inside. "Didn't she come to school early this morning? What do you want with her?"
"So you did see her?!" Rin's eyes lit up as she pressed urgently, "Where is she now?!"
Perhaps intimidated by her intensity, Shinji answered almost unconsciously, "She seemed to faint from low blood sugar this morning. She just went to the infirmary; she should still be resting there..."
Tohsaka Rin didn't hesitate; she immediately rushed downstairs toward the infirmary.
"Hey! What exactly do you want with Sakura?"
Matou Shinji shouted, but he saw the girl Rin completely ignore him as her figure quickly vanished down the corridor.
His brows furrowed tightly and he soon clicked his tongue in annoyance with a "Tch."
However...staring in the direction Rin had disappeared, he suddenly seemed to think of something amusing as the corners of his mouth quickly curved into an intrigued arc.
"Heh... Completely ignoring me, huh? You'll soon pay the price for that attitude, Tohsaka."
...
Swish.
Tohsaka Rin hurried to the infirmary, pushed open the door, and immediately spotted her younger sister lying on the bed, radiating a pure and fragile aura.
She wore her school uniform, possessing a voluptuous bust far beyond what girls her age typically had.
A white blanket covered her, and her smooth black long hair cascaded down, accentuating her refined, ethereal face.
Matou Sakura was turned toward the window, staring blankly at the heavy snow outside, lost in thought.
Hearing the hurried footsteps, she slightly turned her head and soon, a puzzled expression appeared on her face. "Sis... why are you here?"
Tohsaka Rin rushed in, her eyes full of concern. "Sakura, how are you feeling now? Is your body okay?"
The latter gently shook her head, her voice soft and pleasant. "I'm fine. I just didn't eat breakfast, so my blood sugar dropped a bit. Resting a little will fix it."
She looked at her sister, confusion in her eyes. "Didn't you take the morning off, Sister? Why did you come?"
The moment it was mentioned, Rin immediately remembered something important and grasped her sister's cold little hands tightly. "I heard your cry for help at home earlier..."
She then explained everything that had happened at the Tohsaka residence today.
Seeing the deep concern and worry in Rin's eyes, Sakura's gaze flickered slightly before she silently turned her face away.
After a moment, she said softly,
"I think it was probably an enemy trap... I never called you."
Hearing this, Rin Tohsaka fell into brief contemplation. "Who exactly could know both the Tohsaka family phone number and that I'm one of the Masters..."
She quickly gathered her thoughts and smiled. "Anyway, be extra careful during this time... It seems someone has already summoned a Servant ahead of schedule, and it's very likely right here in this school. If anything dangerous happens, tell me right away."
"You must have summoned your Servant early too, right, Sister?"
Matou Sakura suddenly asked.
Tohsaka Rin was about to answer when she suddenly noticed the gaze her sister was directing at her.
The moment their eyes met, Rin couldn't help but freeze.
For a split second, she felt as though she didn't recognize her own sister at all.
Because at that moment, Matou Sakura's eyes were so empty and indifferent, almost as if another person had possessed her body.
But in the next instant, Sakura had already returned to her usual gentle and fragile demeanor.
She tilted her head slightly. "What's wrong, Sis?"
Rin snapped out of it and nodded lightly with an "mm." "I ended up running late this morning anyway, so I figured I might as well go ahead and perform the Heroic Spirit summoning..."
"That's cheating, Sister."
Matou Sakura smiled faintly. "But don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
As she spoke, she continued, "Is he with you?"
The "he" she referred to was naturally Alvin.
The smile that had just appeared on Rin's face faded slightly, replaced by a more complicated expression.
She knew exactly how persistently Sakura had clung to thoughts of the White Dragon over these years...
Back then, she had even considered swapping relics with her sister, giving Sakura the chance to summon him.
But Sakura had gently refused.
Because in her eyes, that would have felt more like charity.
Becoming the future head of the Tohsaka family, showered with both parents' love, and even having her father specially prepare the White Dragon's relic for her... Tohsaka Rin was born with all of this.
What Matou Sakura had, in contrast, was merely the care of an "uncle" with no blood relation.
"Do you want to see him?"
Tohsaka Rin asked.
"Not for now. Let's talk about it when we get home."
Matou Sakura said softly.
"Class is about to start. Since you're already here, Sis, you should go to the classroom... After all, some students probably saw you earlier. It wouldn't be good if it got back to the teachers."
"And you?"
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm really fine."
Sakura replied.
The sisters chatted idly for a little while longer.
Only after repeatedly confirming that her sister truly had no issues did Tohsaka Rin finally stand to take her leave.
Once the infirmary door closed, Matou Sakura used her fingers to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
The silky strands that fell added a touch of lazy allure.
"How did it feel, Rider?"
In the infirmary, a voluptuous, breathtaking figure quietly materialized at Sakura's side.
The purple-haired beauty stood with arms folded, head slightly tilted, as though gazing through her eye patch toward the direction Rin had left.
"That guy... is strong." Rider said quietly. "It's the first time I've seen an Assassin whose strength could rival the Three Knight classes—no..."
She shook her head. "If we're talking pure brute force, his raw power might be even more terrifying than the Three Knights."
Sakura lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, "It's him, after all... I'm not surprised in the least."
"The White Dragon's power is extremely violent at its peak.
Even in Assassin state, he's a strong contender for the Grail this time. Master, if you truly want the Grail, you should think of a way to deal with him first—"
Before Rider could finish, Sakura turned her head and glanced at her.
"Rider... I've never had any interest in the Greater Grail from the very beginning."
Yes.
From start to finish, what she truly wanted was never the Greater Grail. It was simply to see that person again. Nothing more.
That should have been the case.
Yet... knowing that Tohsaka Rin had summoned him even after her relic was swapped filled Sakura with an indescribable, twisted feeling.
"If you really wanted to see him, why didn't you tell your sister just now?"
Rider asked softly.
"His perception is too sharp... He might notice the abnormality in me."
Sakura slowly raised her head, exhaling a sweet breath.
"At the very least... I have to wait until I've fully digested the magical energy inside my body before getting close to him."
Ah... Just thinking about having to endure for a long time made her want to give in to her desires.
This feeling of having to hold back... it really made one want to drown in it.
"Withdraw for now, Rider."
The purple-haired beauty lowered her head, turned, and quietly dissolved into particles of light, vanishing into the air.
The infirmary returned to its usual quiet.
Yet in this silence, a faint, ambiguous breath seemed to escape from the girl's red lips.
Matou Sakura's cheeks burned hot.
Her fair fingertips slipped beneath the blanket.
At some point, her body trembled lightly, and a moist gleam quickly filled her beautiful eyes.
...
Unknowingly, the day's classes came to an end.
In the evening, the sky remained overcast.
Tohsaka Rin was walking home.
"How are you feeling, Assassin? Did you sense any other magi back then?"
Alvin's figure silently appeared at her side...hearing her words, he shook his head. "On the rooftop, there was definitely only Rider... and no traces of any other magus using magecraft."
"But Rider's Master should be in your school."
If he had to name a suspect, there was one person who stood out the most.
But Alvin had no evidence right now... and it wasn't something he could say in front of Rin.
After all... that girl was Rin's own little sister.
Tohsaka Rin lowered her eyes. "...Then let's investigate slowly for now."
The two continued talking as they walked toward the Tohsaka residence, the sound of wind and snow accompanying them.
There were hardly any people on the road.
Just then, Alvin suddenly seemed to sense something.
His expression changed, and he quickly pulled Rin behind him.
"Rin, wait!"
"What's—"
Rin had barely spoken when she too seemed to notice something and instinctively looked ahead.
In the endless falling snow, a petite figure was slowly walking toward them from the distant road.
Her hands were clasped behind her back, a sweet smile on her adorable face.
Her fair skin glowed with a crystalline beauty against the snow.
Rin narrowed her eyes, staring at the silver-haired girl ahead.
"What a rare guest... I never expected to see you on the eve of the Holy Grail War."
"...Illya."