---
Thus, Haruka Kasugano began focusing on resolving the final 1% of Tohsaka Aoi's "Infidelity Level."
He had a feeling that once it reached 100%, there would definitely be a huge reward!
So during the day, he once again went fooling around with Aoi near the hospital—but still couldn't break through that last 1%.
Although Aoi had become more proactive and bolder, The Infidelity Level remained stuck at 99%.
What exactly was the problem?
Haruka Kasugano grew increasingly confused.
What was going on?
Did the child have to be born before it would reach 100%?
He didn't understand.
So he shifted his focus to conquering Sola instead.
Sola's situation was different from Aoi's.
She was a pure magus, not bound by worldly morality and public opinion like Aoi.
She was prouder and far harder to control.
To deal with her required more extreme methods.
As Touko Aozaki once mocked in *The Garden of Sinners*—magus can hardly be considered human.
If that was the case…
Then he simply wouldn't treat Sola as human.
So besides forbidding her from wearing clothes, he placed many full-length mirrors in her room, forcing her to constantly see her own disheveled state.
"Bastard… humiliating me wasn't enough? Why so many mirrors… I don't want to see myself like this…" Sola cursed.
But she had no strength to resist. One arm disabled and her magic sealed, she was now just a powerless woman.
After staring at her degraded appearance for so long, her proud expression gradually faded.
To further break down her mental defenses, Haruka Kasugano also forbade her from bathing.
After three days, even she couldn't stand her own smell.
And most of it… carried Haruka Kasugano's scent.
"Bastard… it stinks…"
Covered in sweat and filth, she felt unbearably dirty.
Her self-image as a noble, elegant lady began to collapse.
She felt like a filthy woman.
[Ding! Sola's shame continues collapsing. Infidelity Level +10!]
[Reward: Host's Endurance upgraded to A!]
"Hahaha, effective as expected!"
Clearly, treating a magus like this worked.
So he escalated further.
He forbade her from using the bathroom and placed a chamber pot in her room.
Forcing her to face herself in the mirror in such a degrading state.
At first she resisted, but eventually she couldn't hold it any longer.
In that moment—
She felt like a dog.
[Ding! Sola's shame collapses again. Infidelity Level +10!]
[Reward: Host's Mana upgraded to A!]
"Excellent!"
Each time he entered the room while she relieved herself, her mental defenses crumbled further.
She felt like she had always been nothing more than a filthy animal.
After four days, Sola became completely withdrawn.
Dirty, smelly, toyed with repeatedly—she seemed to be getting used to this life.
At first she cried and cursed.
Now… she was gradually adapting.
She even began to think this was how she was meant to live.
Sometimes, when Haruka Kasugano entered the room, she would automatically comply.
[Ding! Sola's worldview shattered. Infidelity Level +10!]
[Reward: New skill "Interrogation Technique"! Can more effectively break opponents mentally!]
"Oh? Another useful skill."
Haruka Kasugano picked up a whip and entered Sola's room.
He suspended her upside down and struck her repeatedly.
Her body became covered in marks.
At first she cried in pain.
But after several days, something changed.
"Harder…!"
She began to derive pleasure from the pain.
She could now only be described as twisted.
[Ding! Sola has been conditioned into perversion. Infidelity Level +10!]
[Reward: Host's Strength upgraded to A!]
"Nice."
Though it was only a single physical attribute, very few Servants even reached A-rank physical parameters.
Now he could theoretically tear apart Heroic Spirits—so long as they didn't use Noble Phantasms.
After all, Noble Phantasms were what truly determined a Servant's strength.
At this point, he could easily defeat Kotomine Kirei or Kiritsugu Emiya.
Though his combat experience was still lacking.
That could be improved later—after all, Sola's Infidelity Level was only at 50%.
Plenty of room to grow.
For several days, he stayed inside playing with Sola.
But thanks to Circe monitoring outside events, nothing major happened.
Still, given the personalities involved, this calm was likely just the quiet before a storm.
---
Meanwhile, Matou Kariya was utterly confused.
After losing his duel to Tohsaka Tokiomi that night, he had woken up at his own doorstep, his injuries nearly healed.
Even stranger—
The Matou household was empty.
Zouken, Byakuya, Shinji, even Sakura—everyone was gone.
Even the crest worms had vanished.
It was as if they had never existed.
What was happening?
He searched Fuyuki for days but found no trace of them.
Others didn't matter—but he couldn't stop worrying about Sakura.
What should he do?
Just then, Kotomine Kirei appeared at his door.
"You are…?" Kariya asked.
"I am the new supervisor, Kotomine Kirei. I've come to cooperate with you," Kirei smiled.
"Cooperate how?"
"I can use my authority to arrange a private meeting between you and Tohsaka Tokiomi, so you can take revenge. In return, you'll do something for me."
Hearing he could duel Tokiomi again, Kariya immediately agreed.
---
Kirei and Kariya stood on a hillside near the Emiya residence, overlooking both it and Haruka Kasugano's rented house next door.
"See that house? That's where Saber's Master resides," Kirei said, pointing.
"And? You want me to attack Saber directly?" Kariya asked.
"No. That won't work," Kirei shook his head.
"Do you remember the silver-haired woman by Saber's side?"
"Yes. Isn't she Saber's Master?"
"No. She's merely a decoy. Saber's true Master is someone else," Kirei explained.
"She is actually the vessel of the Holy Grail."
"I need you to command Berserker to capture her. As for why—naturally, for the Grail."
"Your Berserker can assume other appearances, correct?"
"I want him to disguise himself as Rider, then abduct that woman."
Though not especially clever, Kariya understood the scheme.
"You want to frame Rider? Priest, you're quite wicked," he said with a laugh.
"Of course. It wouldn't be interesting if Saber chased me instead," Kirei smiled.
"Fine. I'll act when Saber leaves. Just remember your promise."
"Of course," Kirei replied with a pleased smile.
With that, Kirei left under the pretense of arranging Tokiomi's departure.