"Hey, did you hear? Tohsaka's been getting really close to that new P.E. teacher lately."
"Yeah, that new P.E. teacher is crazy handsome. I want to talk to him too…"
"I heard Tohsaka might actually know him from before."
"Ah, so it's a reunion."
"She looks really happy."
"So someone finally captured the young lady's heart?"
"Maybe she's been taken for ages."
"Wonder how many guys are gonna be heartbroken."
"All of them, obviously."
"Wait—Tohsaka and the new teacher… is that okay?"
"What do you mean? Like, teacher–student dating?"
"Yeah."
"He's young, and he's a P.E. teacher. And if they already knew each other, it's probably fine."
"Wow. Looking down on P.E. teachers, huh?"
"…"
On the rooftop of the school building, the two people at the center of all that gossip sat face-to-face, enjoying lunch.
It was the lunch break.
"Rin, you're a really good cook," Shichen said with a smile as he sampled the bento she'd brought. He wasn't just being polite—he meant it.
Rin lived alone these days, so she'd had to learn how to take care of herself. Over time, her cooking naturally improved.
Most importantly, her dishes leaned toward Chinese flavors—exactly Shichen's kind of food.
"I-Is that so…?" Rin looked a little embarrassed.
Yesterday, she'd been thinking about having lunch with Shichen, so she asked if he wanted her to bring him a bento.
There was no way Shichen would refuse.
And since it was her first time making lunch for someone else—especially the person who'd saved her—Rin couldn't help caring a lot about whether he'd like it.
Shichen had been working here for three days now, and for those three days Rin hadn't held back at all—she'd come to see him whenever she wanted.
She didn't care what other people thought. She only wanted to do what she wanted… though she still got shy.
That was why she'd deliberately chosen the empty rooftop for lunch.
"T-Teacher…" Rin's gaze drifted to the back of Shichen's hand, and she hesitated.
"If 'teacher' feels weird, you can just call me by my name," Shichen said.
"I-I'd rather call you Shichen-nii."
"Whatever you like." Shichen kept eating.
Rin's bento was on the spicy side—super appetizing—but there wasn't much. He was already starting to feel like it wouldn't be enough.
Luckily, he also had a bento Lieselet had prepared for him.
He could have just gone home to eat… but how could that compare to having lunch with Rin?
Back in the day, this girl had been the very definition of "crush material" for his youth.
"Um… Shichen-nii, can I ask you… a question?" Rin finally spoke, tentative.
"A question?" Shichen raised his eyes to her, then glanced down at his hand. That mark—anyone would be curious, let alone someone who knew what it meant.
"About the Command Spells?" he asked bluntly.
"…Yes." Rin pressed her lips together, clearly conflicted.
She'd only just reunited with her benefactor. She was finally enjoying school again.
And then she found out he was her opponent.
Between Masters, you could become mortal enemies. After all, the Grail was a wish-granting machine—anything could be wished for. People would trample whoever stood in their way to get what they wanted.
Rin was a girl with a strong sense of justice. She wouldn't do anything at any cost.
But she didn't know what Shichen would do… and that scared her.
She didn't want to be his enemy.
But the Holy Grail War was cruel and merciless.
She'd originally planned to summon her Servant as early as possible, but Shichen showing up had thrown everything off.
Now that she knew he was a Master too, she didn't even want to summon anymore.
Whether they were opponents was one thing.
Whether she wanted to fight him was another.
"Rin, you're a Master too, right?" Shichen asked calmly, his eyes flicking to where her Command Spells would be. "That mark looks like a lollipop."
"…Yeah. Same as you, Shichen-nii." Rin nodded and showed him her Command Spells.
Two Masters sitting together like this, totally unguarded… was dangerously reckless.
"You don't want to be my enemy," Shichen said, seeing straight through her.
He understood her. He was her lifesaver, after all.
"You're my benefactor…" Rin admitted quietly.
"So what? If you're both Masters, you should be prepared to oppose each other," Shichen warned.
"Shichen-nii…"
"As a mage, you can't be soft."
"But…"
"You still don't want to be my enemy?"
"…Yeah."
"Then become allies," Shichen said with a grin.
"A-Allies?" Rin stared at him.
"Yep. Allies." Shichen nodded. "There are seven Masters, right? We team up first and knock out the others."
"But in the end—"
"Why think that far ahead?" Shichen cut her off. "We might not even make it to the end. Worrying about something that may never happen is pointless."
"…I guess that's true."
"Then it's settled," Shichen decided.
"Okay! I'll listen to you, Shichen-nii." Rin finally smiled, as if she'd made peace with it.
"That's more like it. That hesitant, wishy-washy look doesn't suit you. Be confident—you should be proud."
"Shichen-nii… you really understand me," Rin said, blinking up at him.
"I understand you way more than you think," Shichen replied with a small smile.
"…Huh?"
That smile made Rin's heart jolt—and then start racing.
…
That night, Rin finished drawing her summoning circle at home.
Her worries were resolved. There was no reason to hesitate now.
"Please be Saber! Please be Saber!"
She clasped her hands and prayed, then started chanting the summoning incantation.
And on her rooftop, someone watched curiously.
Shichen.
He was curious—because of him, a certain boy hadn't been affected ten years ago, hadn't been adopted, and hadn't followed the same path. So who would Rin summon now?
This timeline had changed, but the future hadn't fully diverged yet.
That guy might still become a Heroic Spirit in the future.
But this timeline didn't need to be disturbed anymore. Shichen didn't need to involve him.
He remembered "her" saying that Alaya and Gaia didn't dare interfere with him—so could he tweak the summoning ritual a little?
Analyzing the magic circle, swapping out the Throne of Heroes—easy for Shichen.
This Grail War didn't need to be "authentic" anyway.
He could even pretend to be a Servant for fun.
Down below, Rin finished the final words of her chant. Seeing that, Shichen flickered and vanished.
"Saber… Saber… Saber…"
The magic circle blazed with light. Mana gathered. Wind pressure surged, scattering books.
And in the center of the circle, a silhouette appeared—faint at first, then clearer.
Rin squeezed her eyes shut as she prayed with all her heart that her Servant would be Saber-class. After all, Saber-class heroes were usually honorable—more compatible with her.
Then she opened her eyes.
And the moment she saw who stood in the circle, her brain completely froze.
It was someone who absolutely should not be there.
"S-Shichen-nii?" Rin stared, as if her vision had broken. She rubbed her eyes hard.
But he didn't change.
Was she dreaming?
Shichen smiled at her. "Rin… why did you summon me?"
"…No way…"
Rin still couldn't believe it. She pinched her arm.
It hurt.
She pinched her cheek next—hard enough to sting.
Not a dream.
She had summoned her benefactor?!
Was her benefactor a Heroic Spirit?
"Is it really you…?" Rin asked, voice trembling.
"You forgot me that fast?" Shichen teased. "We had lunch together at noon. Your bento was great, by the way."
"…It really is you." Rin's mind spun. "But how is this possible…? Shichen-nii, are you a Heroic Spirit? A hero from the past?"
"Nope." Shichen shook his head.
"Then why—?"
"Maybe your wish did something," Shichen said lightly.
"My wish?"
"You didn't want to be my enemy, right? If I'm your Servant, I can't be your enemy."
"T-That… that can't be how it works…" Rin said, refusing to accept it.
"But the facts are right in front of you," Shichen replied. "You summoned me. I'm your Servant now."
"…" Rin opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her understanding of the world was shattering in real time.
"This is a good thing," Shichen said as he walked up and ruffled her hair. "We really don't have to be enemies anymore."
"I mean… I guess…" Rin's thoughts were still a tangled mess.
"Don't worry about it for now," Shichen said. "Since I'm your Servant, come home with me."
"?"