"Rin! I must refuse."
The Holy Grail War—what a haunting dream!
Waver recalled that majestic figure in his mind, thinking of everything regarding that King, but he still flatly refused Rin's proposal.
Rin, having been rejected, propped her chin on her hand with a faint smile, her other hand unconsciously stirring the borscht in front of her with a spoon.
"Waver, don't you want to see that Great Emperor again? Have you given up your status as his retainer?"
"I..."
"Waver, Gray is a product created by the clan of Morgan le Fay, right? Don't worry, I have no interest in resurrecting King Arthur. I just intend to borrow Gray to participate in the Holy Grail War. With her identity, she can be a trump card for me even without a catalyst!"
Waver stared intently at Rin, sizing her up for a long time.
"Rin, you're lying. You have another motive!"
"Ah la la, I've been seen through? Yes, I do have another motive, but that's a secret! But rest assured, I will absolutely not harm Gray. Not one bit."
"Rin, you must guarantee that you won't harm Gray!"
"Of course, I promise. Then, I look forward to cooperating with you in the Holy Grail War!"
After saying that, Rin reached out her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Waver also reached out and shook Rin's hand firmly.
After finishing lunch, Rin declined the invitation to go back to the Modern Magecraft Classroom to lecture the students, instead wandering alone through the ancient streets of the Clock Tower district.
Looking at the elegant surroundings, Rin sat down casually on a roadside bench, tilting her head back to look at the gloomy sky.
"Is it going to rain? Sigh, I still have to go buy Stargazy Pie for Da Vinci in a bit. Ugh, what a hassle."
"Do you want this?"
Hearing a voice, Rin was suddenly startled and turned her head toward the source.
"Oh, did I disturb you? Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sajyou Manaka, a student of General Fundamentals. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rin~"
After Aika finished speaking, she placed the Stargazy Pie she was holding onto the bench and happily skipped away, vanishing from Rin's sight.
"Am I dreaming?"
Rin pinched her thigh hard. Feeling the pain, she looked at the Stargazy Pie on the bench and picked it up with a slightly trembling hand.
"Sajyou Manaka... why would the princess of the root appear? Damn it, am I really being watched by the Root?"
Her heart full of unease, Rin casually tossed the Stargazy Pie into a roadside trash can and hurriedly left the Clock Tower in a panic.
Not long after Rin left, Sajyou Manaka emerged from behind a nearby tree. With a gloomy expression, she walked to the trash can and pulled out the Stargazy Pie that Rin had thrown away.
"Rin-chan, you're being naughty. I spent all night making this! I must give you a lesson. But you really do know me. I so want to eat you up, Rin! La la la~ la."
With a distorted expression, Aika slammed the Stargazy Pie onto the ground. Suddenly, her face changed again, revealing a brilliant smile, and she hummed a little tune as she disappeared down the street.
Rin walked out of the Clock Tower district in a panic and arrived at the commercial street outside. Suddenly, a drop of rain hit her face. Only then did Rin stop, look up at the sky where the rain had started to fall, and walk into a random roadside mall to seek shelter.
"Rin, what are you doing here?"
Standing at the mall entrance and watching the rain outside, Rin turned her head to see Luvia staring at her with a curious look.
Rin turned around to scan the environment of the mall first, then asked Luvia.
"Luvia, is this your family's mall? I just came in to get out of the rain."
Seeing Rin easily recognize her family's mall, Luvia covered her mouth and laughed with some pride. Luvia, who had just been inspecting her family's new mall upstairs, suddenly noticed someone ignoring the magecraft effects in the mall and lingering by the entrance. She had thought it was just some Clock Tower student and didn't pay much mind, but as she got closer, the figure looked more and more familiar.
"Rin actually remembers our family's style? I'm so touched."
Rin curled her lip. 'With this nouveau riche style, I can't think of anyone else in the magecraft world who would use it besides your family.'
"Rin, do you want to take a tour of my family's mall?"
Rin looked at Luvia and shook her head.
"No thanks, Luvia. I'm not really interested in shopping. I'll leave once the rain stops."
Luvia looked at the intensity of the rain outside and then extended an invitation to Rin.
"Rin, the rain outside probably won't stop for a while. Why don't you come to my office for some afternoon tea?"
"Alright then, sorry for the trouble, Luvia."
Rin followed Luvia to the office on the top floor of the mall.
Once Luvia had gracefully brought out the tea snacks and brewed the black tea, the two began to chat in Luvia's office.
"Rin, you didn't know, did you? My mall's defense system had an issue a few days ago!"
"Yes, I know."
"Oh, right, you're staying at Reines's place. She must have told you."
Rin certainly wasn't going to tell Luvia she knew from the Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II. She nodded casually in agreement and then asked Luvia.
"Luvia, do you know Sajyou Manaka?"
"Sajyou Manaka?"
Luvia thought carefully for a moment and then said,
"Yes!"
"Luvia, can you tell me about her?"
"Rin, why are you asking about her?"
Luvia curiously questioned Rin back, but seeing Rin's serious expression, she slowly relayed the information she knew about Sajyou Manaka.
"As far as I know, Sajyou Manaka is somewhat famous at the Clock Tower. At fourteen, many professors already call her a genius. However, due to her eccentric personality, she seems to have no friends and often comes and goes like a ghost. No one knows exactly what she's doing. Oh, and she seems to have come from the Far East, just like you."
"Is that all?"
"Yes. Although she's a bit famous at the Clock Tower, there are too many star students. Compared to them, she's a nobody, so naturally, no one pays much attention to her. But Rin, where did you hear about her?"
Rin's face looked a bit disappointed as she waved her hand at Luvia.
"I ran into her today, so I was curious and wanted to ask about her situation."
Luvia's eyes lit up. Seeing Rin's disappointed look, she seemed to think of something.
"Rin, your face doesn't look right! Although I don't know why you want information on her, I can help you investigate. In return, just practice some combat with me. How about it?"
Rin actually understood that the princess of the root, Sajyou Manaka, wouldn't let these 'mortals' get any information from her. But with a glimmer of hope, Rin still nodded and agreed to Luvia's request.
Seeing Rin nod in agreement, Luvia hurriedly pulled out her fan to cover her face, preventing Rin from seeing her excited expression. 'Rin, although my magecraft isn't as good as yours, my wrestling skills won't lose to your Eight Extremities Fist. Is a sweet "revenge" coming?!'
Inside the mall, in the area where Luvia usually practiced wrestling, Rin and Luvia, having changed their clothes, were facing each other, waiting for the other to show a weakness.
Recommendation: "Domestic Animation Should Strengthen Itself"
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