Shichen raised an eyebrow as he looked at the Command Spells on the back of his hand.
So he'd been chosen as a Master again.
That meant the Holy Grail War really had begun once more.
It made sense, too. Even though he'd taken the Lesser Grail with him, the Greater Grail was still here—and the Greater Grail was the true foundation of the ritual. The Lesser Grail was normally supplied by the Einzbern family—an artificial lifeform acting as the vessel. When they left, the head of the family hadn't died yet, and the surrounding mana had conveniently dried up.
Who knew whether a new Lesser Grail had been prepared in the meantime?
But that was a minor issue. Since there was still a Grail War, Shichen decided he'd just play the "hero" and speedrun it.
"A Command Spell…? The Grail War is still happening? But the Lesser Grail—?" Artoria exclaimed when she saw the mark.
"The Lesser Grail is provided by our family," Irisviel said, thinking it through. "Sella and the others never had contact with the head, and all the homunculi disappeared… He might've made another one."
"No wonder…"
"Come to think of it, this is kind of your fault, Shichen," Irisviel said with a smile. "You promised the head you'd win the Grail War, and then you just took the Lesser Grail and left."
Shichen spread his hands. "Hey, did I win or not?"
"But there was no wish," Irisviel countered. "What he wanted was the wish."
"The Grail was corrupted," Shichen said bluntly. "How was it supposed to grant anything?"
"He didn't know that," Irisviel replied. "You didn't explain anything—you just 'kidnapped' us and left. He probably refuses to let it go."
"Probably."
"So what now?" Artoria asked.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Shichen said. "If there's a Grail War, we join. You know my strength—do you really think I can't handle the Heroic Spirits in this world?"
"…Right." Artoria finally remembered just how absurd Shichen was. Compared to him, a Grail War was nothing.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Right then, Illya came running back from patrolling the estate with Sakura. Sakura followed behind her like a little shadow.
It wasn't surprising—next to mischievous, energetic Illya, Sakura was the obedient type.
That was only with family, though. With outsiders, she was another person entirely.
After everything she'd been through—despair and then hope—she wasn't a naïve little girl anymore. She only looked that way because she was safe with the people she trusted.
"What's up?" Shichen opened his arms, ready for Illya to crash into him.
"Hehe!" Illya happily dove into his embrace.
Illya was still small, so Shichen held her with one arm and pulled Sakura in with the other, hugging them both.
Sakura didn't cling to him, but she didn't resist either. Wrapped in his arms, she quietly soaked in his warmth.
This was her favorite place in the world.
Back then—when she'd been trapped in a cold, terrifying basement—it was this embrace that had driven her fear away.
"Daddy, look," Illya said, settling into a comfortable position against him. She held out her hand to show him something.
Shichen frowned. "That's…?"
There, on the back of her tiny hand, was the same red mark.
A Command Spell.
Illya had been chosen as one of the seven Masters.
"Illya too?!" Irisviel blurted out.
"That's normal," Shichen said matter-of-factly. "Illya's an Einzbern. Of course she could be selected."
"Then does that mean the head really is dead?" Irisviel asked quietly.
"Dead or alive, it doesn't matter," Shichen said. "Even if he's still around, he doesn't outrank Illya in priority. He's too weak. Illya's the real deal."
He lifted Illya with one hand and praised her like she'd won an award.
"Hehe—am I really that awesome?" Illya beamed.
"You're awesome."
"Then can Illya help Daddy?"
"Of course you can."
"Yay!"
"Big brother…"
Sakura suddenly looked up at him with eyes that made her seem small and fragile.
"What is it, Sakura?" Shichen asked gently.
"I have one too."
She raised her hand.
Shichen blinked—and then laughed.
On the back of Sakura's hand was a clear Command Spell as well.
Seven Masters in total, and three of them were already on his side.
Even if he did nothing, this was practically guaranteed.
Unless the other four formed an alliance—which was laughable.
…
The system chose Masters first. In Fuyuki, anyone with proper qualifications would be prioritized.
Illya and Sakura were still children, yet the Greater Grail selected them anyway—either that meant the other candidates were terrible…
…or these two were simply exceptional.
Either way, Shichen had no intention of letting them participate. This Grail War wouldn't be completed.
And it would be the last Grail War in Fuyuki.
There was another reason, too: summoning Heroic Spirits without proper catalysts was unpredictable. Even if Illya ended up with Berserker again and Sakura with Rider again, Heracles and Medusa weren't guaranteed to appear.
So Shichen didn't rush them to summon anything. First, he wanted to investigate what had changed in this world.
Two days later, Shichen enrolled as a teacher at Homurahara Academy—once again as the P.E. instructor. He knew the job.
It was easy to get hired as a P.E. teacher, especially with a little "help" on his end. He breezed through the process and was teaching the very next day.
"Did you hear? Our new P.E. teacher is a ridiculously handsome guy."
"Seriously? How handsome?"
"Like a prince."
"No way."
"It's true. People say if you see him, he'll basically manifest your dream lover—like the prince you imagined when you were a kid."
"That's exaggerated…"
"You'll see in a second…"
As the students headed toward the field, chatting excitedly, they kept glancing at a figure in the distance—someone in a red coat.
Among them was a girl with black twin-tails tied with a ribbon. Her posture was dignified, her expression serious. Over her uniform she wore a red coat, and her aura stood out so much it was almost aristocratic.
Which, in fact, she was.
A fallen noble, perhaps—but the name "Tohsaka" still carried weight in this city.
Her name was Rin Tohsaka—famous at school, adored by boys, admired by girls, practically an idol.
Just… difficult to approach.
Rin walked behind her classmates, bored and absent-minded. She wasn't paying attention to their gossip at all.
Because on the back of her hand was a mark no ordinary student would notice.
A Command Spell.
She had been chosen as one of the seven Masters.
Even though her family had fallen because of the Grail War, she still intended to participate.
Not for anything complicated—she wanted to restore her family's pride.
But there was another reason.
When she was little, someone had saved her. She'd never seen him again, but ten years later she still remembered him clearly.
Maybe if she joined the Grail War, she'd run into him.
Tonight, she would summon her Servant.
She would prepare—and step into the Holy Grail War.
"Waaa—!"
"He's so hot!"
"Hold me, my legs are giving out…"
"Seriously? Don't act up in broad daylight."
"Look, someone actually fainted up front!"
"Uh…"
The commotion ahead snapped Rin back to reality. She frowned and looked forward.
Then she froze.
Her blue eyes widened. Her face filled with shock.
Over the heads of the crowd, she saw the person she'd never forgotten.
That presence, that unreal feeling—she couldn't mistake him.
And he hadn't changed at all.
Why was he even here? At school?
But she didn't care. Rin recovered fast and quickened her pace.
She pushed through the students, passed them one by one, and moved toward the front—until she reached the very front of the group.
And still she didn't stop.
Everyone's attention shifted to her. Her urgency was obvious.
Was the untouchable Rin Tohsaka… falling for the new P.E. teacher?
The girls were stunned to see the "queen" act strange. The boys, meanwhile, felt their hearts sink.
Half the male students in the school had a crush on her.
Rin didn't care. She reached Shichen from behind and stopped.
She opened her mouth—
And couldn't find the words.
For the first time in a long time, she was nervous.
Shichen didn't even realize he'd been assigned to Rin's class. He was only here to pass time and gather information.
After all, most of the key players were at this school.
He felt someone behind him. When he turned, a familiar figure filled his view.
Twin-tails. Red coat. Long legs. A composed face.
Familiar to the point it almost felt ridiculous.
"Oh?" Shichen smiled. "So you're here too. Long time no see."
"L-long time no see…" Rin managed, voice unsteady.
~~~
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