"Hahaha! I'm fine, I just bumped my head by accident. You should hurry to school, I'll catch up in a bit."
Tohsaka Rin quietly took a breath, forcing herself to stay calm, doing her best to maintain the image she should have as an older sister.
She held onto the edge of the table with one hand, about to sit down on the nearby chair to recover.
However, just as her firm hips pressed down onto the chair, it suddenly fell apart for some reason. The girl instinctively grabbed at the table beside her, but ended up pulling the cup and teapot down with a clatter onto the floor.
The room filled with a chaotic series of crashing sounds, almost like a battlefield. Matou Sakura tilted her head slightly in confusion, as if she couldn't quite understand her sister.
"Are you really okay?"
There was a trace of worry in Sakura's voice.
Even though she was the younger sister, many times it was Sakura who acted more like the older one.
"I'm fine… just go already."
Rin took a deep breath. Despite looking a bit disheveled, she still tried to stay composed, answering with a smile.
After the sound of footsteps faded away, she finally rubbed her backside and sat up, looking at the mess in the room and letting out a long sigh.
"First day of winter and my luck's already bad."
She got up and tidied things up, then glanced at the clock on the wall.
There were only five minutes left before class started. Leaving from home now would clearly be too late.
'Since it's come to this… I might as well take a half-day off.'
After calling her teacher to request a half-day sick leave, Tohsaka Rin returned to the living room and took a small sip of her black tea.
Only then did the restless feeling she'd had all morning begin to settle.
Rin took out a slightly yellowed black cloth fragment from her chest, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.
From traveling to ancient Britain, to later entering the royal palace with his help and receiving guidance from Morgan le Fay, even if she told anyone about that experience now, no one would believe it.
But in the end, there was no need for anyone to believe it. Keeping it as a beautiful memory, and one day talking about those past experiences with him again, sounded pretty interesting… for the past ten years, Rin had always held onto that thought.
And today, that thought was about to become reality.
After ten years, the Greater Grail system had long since finished cooling down. Now, it was the eve of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
Although it didn't follow the rules, if she wanted to, she could perform the Servant summoning today.
Since she wasn't going to school this morning anyway, she might as well start now.
At the thought of meeting that White Dragon again, the girl's usually calm heart rippled slightly. She unconsciously tightened her grip on the black cloth fragment, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Tohsaka Rin didn't notice at all that the black cloth fragment in her hand had, at some point, emitted an extremely faint purple glow. Within that glow, dense 'data' seemed to be analyzed.
———
The airplane's wheels hit the ground, the engine rumbling in a low hum.
["Dear passengers, the aircraft has landed at Fuyuki Airport and is currently taxiing. For your safety and that of others, please remain seated and do not open the overhead compartments. Please do not use mobile phones before the cabin doors are opened…"]
The announcement echoed through the cabin. The passengers were already starting to stir.
Among them, a blonde girl was just as restless.
Her clothing was clearly different from typical Japanese attire. A black gothic lace long dress outlined her graceful and alluring figure. Under the dim light, her golden hair seemed to shimmer brilliantly, and her elegant posture resembled that of a noble lady.
Or rather, in the world of magecraft, she truly was nobility.
The adopted younger sister of the head of the El-Melloi family, who had come to Fuyuki in place of her brother to participate in the Holy Grail War, Reines.
"It's finally about to begin."
Looking at the airport outside the window, Reines felt a surge of excitement, unconsciously clenching her hands, unable to hide the anticipation in her eyes.
She had prepared for this day for a long time… she had even successfully acquired a Holy Relic at an auction a few years ago.
If everything went smoothly, in this Holy Grail War, she was completely confident she could achieve final victory and bring the Grail back to the El-Melloi family.
As her thoughts drifted, the plane slowly came to a stop.
When Reines dragged her luggage off the plane, she didn't notice that not far behind her, a girl draped in black was quietly watching her.
Only after Reines disappeared from sight did the black-clad girl turn and silently vanish into the airport.
The lantern in her hand swayed gently in the wind and snow.
———
[Einzbern Castle]
Wearing a white sleeveless dress, her silver hair loose, the small and adorable Illya stood by the window, staring blankly at the drifting snow outside.
The snow piled thick, the courtyard quiet. Behind Illya stood another silver-haired beauty in a white dress that trailed along the ground. She walked to her daughter's side and gently placed her hands on her shoulders.
With an extremely gentle voice, she asked, "Are you ready, Illya?"
Her skin was fair and smooth, her face stunningly beautiful. Her soft eyes held a tender warmth, and her well-maintained figure was gracefully mature. Time had left no marks on her, only adding a refined charm.
Illya nodded very seriously, a smile on her face, "I've been preparing for this day for a very, very long time. This Servant summoning will definitely go without a hitch. Please rest assured."
Although she wouldn't physically grow because she was a 'doll,' Illya's mentality and magecraft had improved a lot compared to before. She was confident that after summoning the White Dragon, she could provide him with sufficient magical energy.
In the end, all these years, she had been quietly working hard for this day. Just so that during the Fifth Holy Grail War, she wouldn't hold the White Dragon back.
After all, he was an extraordinary Servant. If the Master who summoned him was 'unqualified,' that itself would be an insult to the White Dragon. Illya had always thought this way.
The White Dragon of Britain, in the previous Holy Grail War, he and his Master had achieved final victory. In a sense, that was true.
Because of that, even Illya's great-grandfather, the eighth head of the Einzbern family, "Acht," had tacitly approved the mother and daughter's plan. Or perhaps, even as an artificial intelligence, Acht couldn't think of a Servant more suitable than the White Dragon.
Setting aside her thoughts for the moment, Illya extended her small hand toward her mother, her voice clear and innocent.
"Let's go, Mother."
"It's time to welcome our Servant."
———
Fuyuki, inside a building in the new city district—
At this moment, a blonde girl was standing in the kitchen, preparing sandwiches.
Her expression looked quite relaxed. She wore a light blue doll-like dress, her slender legs wrapped in white stockings, and small square-toed shoes on her feet. The lighting made her skin look as white as snow, with a crystalline clarity. Sajyou Manaka.
After leaving the Sajyou household, she had once gone to the Clock Tower, but perhaps due to differences in timelines or something else, she hadn't found Alvin there.
Although at first, the thought that she might never see Alvin again had left her somewhat despairing, she had fortunately thought of a possibility at a crucial moment.
A Holy Relic.
Yes… even though she hadn't found Alvin, she still had the Mystic Code known as the 'Dragon Scale.'
As long as she had it, in the next Holy Grail War she could once again use the dragon scale to perform a Servant summoning.
Although the dragon scale had been slightly damaged during the last summoning, it could still be used one more time.
'Saber said before that he liked the sandwiches I made the most, I should prepare some in advance, then start the summoning ritual.'
Sajyou Manaka hummed cheerfully, fully displaying the relaxed confidence and disregard the Root Princess had toward the Holy Grail War.
After arranging the prepared sandwiches neatly on a plate, she finally took out the Holy Relic she had prepared long ago and walked to the center of the bright living room.
Only then did her usually calm heart stir slightly.
Her eyes were filled with anticipation, along with a trace of unease.
Even as the omniscient and omnipotent Root Princess, she couldn't predict whether she would successfully summon the White Dragon… whether she could pull off a miracle in a single try depended on this one attempt.
After mentally preparing herself, Sajyou Manaka slowly raised her head.
———
At the same time, on the rooftop of a school in Fuyuki, a girl in a school uniform had just gracefully walked up.
Her skirt fluttered, her long black hair dancing in the wind.
The cold wind brushed past, outlining her alluring and graceful figure in full detail. Her ample chest stretched the fabric of her uniform… at a high school age, her figure clearly surpassed her peers by more than a margin.
Matou Sakura.
She walked to a corner of the rooftop, bent down, and gently brushed away the snow, revealing a summoning circle that had already been drawn.
As if thinking of something, Sakura's gaze softened slightly.
Today was the eve of the Holy Grail War. Logically, summoning a Servant in advance wasn't in line with the rules.
But if she didn't act quickly, what if her sister got ahead of her?
"Sorry, Sister…"
She lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, "For big brother… I might have to cheat a little."
Matou Sakura raised her right hand.
Buzz!
The air trembled faintly. Then, the black cloth fragment that had originally been with Tohsaka Rin floated lightly into Sakura's hand.
The cold wind mixed with heavy snow howled, her black shoulder-length hair fluttering, faintly tinged with a purple sheen.
"Let's begin our Holy Grail War, Sister."
She whispered softly in her heart.
———
[Avalon]
"Looks like Rin is the one summoning me, huh?"
Alvin sat on the grass, watching the system notification in his field of vision with interest.
He was quite intrigued. In the past, Tohsaka Tokiomi had given his Holy Relic to his daughter Rin… since this was ten years later, the one summoning him should logically be Tohsaka Rin.
Though, it wasn't impossible that someone else had obtained his relic?
Thinking of this, Alvin let out a soft chuckle.
At that moment, the system suddenly sent another notification.
[Detected a summoning from a participant of the Holy Grail War. Does the host accept the summoning?]
'A second Master summoning him?'
Alvin was briefly stunned, then quickly smiled.
"Interesting. Looks like I'm pretty popular."
He stood up, "Alright then, let's see who exactly is summoning me."
Just as Alvin was about to accept the summoning, at that moment, he saw five more system notifications appear one after another in his field of vision.
[Detected a summoning from a participant of the Holy Grail War. Does the host accept the summoning?]
[Detected a summoning from a participant of the Holy Grail War. Does the host accept the summoning?]
"…"
As the series of notifications kept popping up, the smile on Alvin's face slowly stiffened.
The White Dragon possessed extremely strong perception. It could always sense danger before it arrived and avoid it in advance.
But at this very moment, Alvin felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine.
'What exactly is going on with this Holy Grail War?'
Looking at the seven prompt windows floating before him, Alvin was already dumbfounded.
Under normal circumstances, each Master in the Holy Grail War would want to summon a different Servant.
After all, there were far too many powerful Heroic Spirits in history. The White Dragon was only one among them. No matter how you thought about it, the probability of seven Masters all choosing the same person as their Servant was extremely, extremely low.
And yet now…
'Why did it turn out like this?'
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