Because Zuke had a "friendly exchange" with one of the Lords of the Clock Tower, at the Mage's Association a decade ago, Sakura Matou had been living quite comfortably during her time there. Even magus from powerful families dared not look down on her casually.
In fact, due to Lord's special favoritism, a bizarre rumor even spread within the Clock Tower—that Sakura might be his illegitimate granddaughter. Of course, very few people ever learned the real reason why he showed such concern for Sakura and the Tohsaka family.
Reines only knew about this because when Zuke went to "talk" with the lord, it was Waver who led the way—so Waver naturally knew the truth. However, in the end, Reines exploited this knowledge, using lord's magical energy as a "catalyst" to summon Zuke. In a way, it was indeed underhanded.
After all, Reines and Sakura had a decent relationship at the Mage's Association, yet Reines went ahead and summoned Zuke despite knowing full well what Sakura's goal was. Calling them "fair-weather friends" would be an understatement.
However, Sakura was still unaware of what Reines had done. So after arriving in Fuyuki City, it was only natural for her to visit her "friend" Reines—just as Reines had taken Zuke to visit Bazett, another member of the Mage's Association, the day before.
After making Zuke hide, Reines returned indoors from the rooftop with Trimmau and headed to the living room.
There, she saw Sakura again—just as she had appeared before Reines left the Mage's Association, Sakura still seemed as amiable as ever.
"It's been a few days, Sakura."
A forced smile appeared on Reines's face, though she tried her best not to let Sakura notice anything amiss.
Sakura might seem easygoing and slow to anger, but after spending time with her, Reines knew all too well that "Matou Sakura harbored a trace of madness deep within."
Other matters could be overlooked, but if anyone dared to speak ill of Zuke, Sakura would not hesitate to strike from the shadows.
A few years ago, someone mocked the black feather Sakura always carried as an "omen of misfortune." Not long after, that classmate was found in an alley with multiple fractures.
The injuries were so severe that several of their Magic Circuits were damaged, drastically reducing the quality of their once-decent circuits and casting doubt on their future as a magus.
With no evidence, most people never found out who had beaten that foolish magus so badly—even the Mage's Association's investigation went nowhere. But Reines knew it was Sakura's doing. Or rather, the Lords of the Mage's Association all knew, and as the head of the El-Melloi faction, Reines was naturally aware as well.
The only reason Sakura got away with it was that Lord erased all evidence and repercussions, preventing any serious fallout.
But this incident made Reines realize one thing: Zuke was Sakura's absolute taboo—and now, she had essentially torn that taboo away.
"You seem to be doing well too, Reines."
Sakura smiled as she studied Reines, her tone light and cheerful, no different from her usual demeanor at the Mage's Association.
"Have you already summoned your Servant?"
On Reines's hand, three crimson Command Seals were clearly visible—undeniable proof that she was a Master in the Holy Grail War.
Unlike the "omens" granted before the war began, the Command Seals on Reines's hand were deeper in color, having fully crystallized into physical form—meaning she had already summoned a Servant.
"Ah... yes, I have. I sent him out to gather information."
Reines hadn't expected Sakura to cut straight to the point, immediately bringing up the topic of Servants. Flustered, she quickly composed herself.
Fortunately, she had prepared some responses on her way down from the rooftop, so she managed to reply smoothly.
"What about you, Sakura? Haven't you summoned yours yet?"
"No, I plan to perform the summoning in an hour. According to my calculations, that's when my condition will be at its best."
Even someone like Sakura wasn't immune to superstition when summoning a Servant—she wanted to be in peak condition for the ritual, as she took it very seriously.
"As long as I can summon Zuke, half of my goal will already be achieved."
Sakura's objective was the same as Rin Tohsaka's: summon Zuke, win the Holy Grail War, and use the Grail's immense mana to make him stay in this world permanently.
However, unlike Rin, Sakura's possessiveness was far stronger.
Rin could accept someone else fulfilling this wish—as long as Zuke stayed, she was fine with it. But Sakura couldn't tolerate that. She had to be the one to summon him.
"Um... Sakura, have you considered that Zuke might be summoned by someone else?"
Seeing Sakura's determined expression, Reines struggled to maintain her composure. She quickly steered the conversation in this direction.
"For example, Rin Tohsaka from the Tohsaka family... I heard she's already summoned a Servant."
This was Reines's plan—first use "someone else" as a lead-in, getting Sakura accustomed to the idea that Zuke might have already been summoned by another.
Then, when she revealed that she was the one who had "accidentally" summoned him, perhaps Sakura wouldn't be as furious.
But the moment she finished speaking, Reines saw Sakura's expression darken, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes:
"Even if it's her... if she tries to take Zuke from me, I won't let her off either."
Reines froze, forcing an awkward smile as she looked at Sakura with a hint of fear.
She had heard Sakura talk countless times about how "perfectly matched" she and Zuke were... If Sakura really decided to kill her, would Zuke even intervene?
"More importantly, Reines, there's something I'm curious about."
Just as Reines was internally scrambling for a way to get Zuke to save her, Sakura's gaze suddenly sharpened.
"If you're alone at home... why are you wearing a maid outfit?"
The moment these words left her mouth, Reines's body stiffened.
She hadn't expected Sakura to see the maid outfit. Even Bazett, a fellow magus, hadn't been able to see it during the day!
To be continued…