Planning to join the next Holy Grail War…?
When Grey heard Reines say that, she froze for a moment, then blinked, staring at the blonde girl before her in disbelief.
Sunlight brushed against the blonde girl's fair, delicate face, giving her skin a faint warm glow.
"Why? You shouldn't have any interest in the Grail, right?"
Grey finally couldn't hold back and asked as Reines shrugged. "I'm indeed not interested in the Greater Grail, but my brother is… After the last Holy Grail War, Sola refused to let him go to Fuyuki again no matter what."
"If the El-Melloi family really needs someone to go to Fuyuki, it's better to leave it to me."
If Alvin were here listening to this, he would absolutely blurt out: Clock Tower good little sister!
After all, in every known worldline, Kayneth basically has no chance of surviving.
Alvin spent a huge effort in the previous Grail War just to get his teacher back to the Clock Tower alive.
If Kayneth went to join the next Holy Grail War again… who knows if he would return safely.
"Actually, it's not just because of my brother."
Reines suddenly added.
Grey tilted her head slightly, looking at her in confusion.
"I also have something I want to confirm."
A playful smile suddenly bloomed on Reines's face. "Something that sounded unbelievable at first… but the more I thought about it, the more it felt completely reasonable."
…
Reines never said what exactly she wanted to verify, and Grey didn't press her.
After chatting casually for a while, the silver-haired girl left on her own, walked along the Clock Tower corridors.
Sunlight streamed in through the antique windows, dust drifting lazily in the light.
"Holy Grail War…"
After a long while, she quietly whispered those words in her heart.
Despite living in the Clock Tower, Grey wasn't unfamiliar with the Holy Grail Wars.
Her birthplace was an extremely remote region, and she was born as the supposed reincarnation of "King Arthur."
Back then, the villagers often talked about Arthur's legends… and even about the Holy Grail War.
She had even wondered whether she might one day be used as a "catalyst" to summon Britain's King Arthur.
"I wonder if Reines will be in danger if she goes to Fuyuki…"
The thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
After all, Kayneth had suffered nonstop setbacks during the last Holy Grail War… and Reines's skill in magecraft wasn't even on Kayneth's level.
If something happened to her…
Thinking of that, Grey lowered her gaze toward the lantern-shaped "Cage" in her hand, hesitating for a moment.
Reines was the type who, once she made up her mind, was nearly impossible to dissuade.
If persuading her was impossible but ensuring her safety was necessary, then there was only one way.
—Go to Fuyuki with her.
As if some thought had solidified inside her, Grey's eyes slowly grew firm.
She turned around, her silhouette disappearing at the end of the corridor.
…
Sajyou Residence.
A young girl dressed in a pale-blue gothic dress lay comfortably on the cool tatami, staring blankly at the ceiling beams above her.
Her soft, golden half-long hair spread out behind her, catching the sunlight with a faint shine.
Her sapphire-blue eyes were clear to the point of transparency, like polished gems.
The hem of her dress had flipped up slightly, revealing glimpses of smooth, fair legs.
Her delicate feet were wrapped in short white socks, dainty and neat.
Sajyou Manaka shifted onto her side, looking at the tightly closed door in front of her, then around the familiar room.
"So I'm back…"
After a long silence, she suddenly muttered softly to herself.
After returning to the present world, she hadn't gone back to the Clock Tower.
Instead, she returned to her own world.
Her familiar room, the familiar scent… and her familiar family... though whether it was her parents or her younger sister, the girl couldn't feel even a shred of familial affection toward them.
That was one of the downsides of omniscience, she supposed.
"Saber… are you still at the Clock Tower?"
Manaka slowly closed her eyes, letting the authority of omniscience unfold.
But that all-knowing sight offered no information about Alvin.
Her empty blue eyes slowly opened.
In that moment, a strange sense of fear abruptly welled up inside her.
— What if I can never return to Britain again?
— What if he's no longer at the Clock Tower either?
Countless uneasy thoughts flashed through her mind as Manaka stood up.
She slid open the door, only to come face to face with another girl standing right outside.
It was a glasses-wearing girl who looked somewhat timid and lacking in confidence.
She bumped straight into Manaka, fell backward onto the floor, and hurriedly apologized over and over.
The youngest daughter of the Sajyou family, Manaka's little sister, Sajyou Ayaka.
"…Ayaka?"
Manaka tilted her head slightly, looking down at her sister with mild confusion. "What are you doing here?"
The latter looked up at the blonde girl and blurted out instinctively, "Sister, are you going out?"
Manaka gave a faint hum of acknowledgement, her tone utterly emotionless. "Tell them I'm leaving for a while. Just say I have something I need to take care of."
With that, she stepped past her sister and walked away.
However, Sajyou Ayaka scrambled to her feet and ran after her. "W-When will you be back?"
Hearing her words, Manaka stopped, but didn't turn around. "I don't know… maybe after I find him."
"Him…?"
Her baffled gaze lingered on her sister's fading silhouette until it completely disappeared from view.
…
Clock Tower.
A certain dormitory room.
Afternoon sunlight slanted across the bed, while strands of ivy hung down outside the window.
Alvin lay bathed in the warm summer glow, eyes half-closed in lazy comfort, until he finally opened them fully.
A personal interface silently unfolded before him as he stared at it for a moment, then let out a deeply satisfied sigh.
"Not bad at all... At this rate, by the time the Fifth Holy Grail War ends, I'll probably have collected the full CG set."
Alvin had only just returned to the present world a short while ago.
Ever since coming back, one question had been nagging at him.
Where the hell is the last 6% of my CG hiding?
The Age of Gods in Britain is almost completely gone now.
So, Logically, every CG on that side should already be done.
There's no way the remaining ones are all going to unlock inside the Clock Tower, right?
After turning it over in his mind again and again, the only place left with a realistic chance of finishing the collection... was the Fifth Holy Grail War.
'I wonder what kind of insane reward the system will drop once I hit 100%.'
Just thinking about it made his heart race with anticipation.
Tick-tock, tick-tock...
The wall clock kept its steady rhythm. Alvin gathered his thoughts, ready to get up for his afternoon lecture.
But right at that moment, a new notification quietly appeared.
[Special CG triggered: The Girls' Decision (Warning: This achievement carries Bad End risk. Host, please proceed with extreme caution!)]