Morgan's breath drew closer.
Our noses touched. Her rough breathing tickled my skin.
Her eyes. Reflected in those orbs, full of fervor, were my own.
They were purple.
Ah, so that was the color of my eyes.
My mind tried to forget the current situation.
The color of my eyes. Neither the red characteristic of a god, nor the light brown of an Easterner.
Why purple? The thought didn't last long.
Morgan leaned in. Not even a centimeter remained between us. The moment she trembled slightly, our lips would meet.
My heart trembled. Morgan shut her eyes tightly. The remaining distance was mine to close.
Morgan, who had closed a distance of 30 centimeters, entrusted the final centimeter to me.
I... her...
***
"Mister? Didn't I tell you not to leave the hospital... huh...?"
"…Yeah. Little Miss. Good to see you. It's been a while."
Rain fell from the sky. It was pouring.
The timely rain was a mercy from the heavens.
I waved at Tohsaka Rin. Instead of waving back, the little girl approached the bench where I sat.
"Mister, did something happen?"
"Nothing happened."
"Liar."
This young lady never lets anything slide. I wonder where that unyielding personality of hers will take her.
Rin rummaged through her pocket and took out a handkerchief embroidered with a flower pattern.
"Don't cry. I'll lend you my handkerchief."
"I'm not crying. This is rainwater."
I pointed a finger at the sky.
Rin looked up at the sky, then turned to me with an even more pitiful expression.
"…Then at least wipe the blood off your cheek. It's really swollen."
"I just fell down on the street. Something like this will heal quickly."
Even though she's young, Rin is sharp. She put the handkerchief away and said something else.
I don't know what she said. I couldn't hear well. My ears were ringing.
"I can't hear you well."
"…You got beaten up badly, didn't you?"
"Very badly."
"You just said you fell down."
Did I say that? I guess I must have.
There's no reason for Rin to lie, is there?
I tried to smile, but only coughed up a lot of blood. It hurts.
The little girl's eyes flashed as she asked.
"Who did this?"
"…I don't know."
"Liar."
"It's true. They're... a stranger now, someone I don't even know what to call anymore."
I want to stop thinking.
If only I could fall asleep forever like this. But this body of mine was unnecessarily tough.
Fatigue washed over me. The little girl clinging to my side couldn't have been more of a nuisance.
"Don't you worry about it. The world of adults is just this complicated."
"I know what I need to know, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah. You're so great."
Let's go back. Let's sleep.
I got up from the bench. Rin blocked my way.
"I won't let you go until you tell me."
I lightly jumped over Rin.
I only jumped about 3 meters. The little girl chased after me, trembling with rage.
"Coward! That's cheating!"
Sorry, but I can't play with you today.
I left the flustered Rin behind and returned to the hospital.
I just wanted to sleep all day.
***
Sunday evening. It was a clear, cloudless sky.
When the sign of the hospital on the hill went out,
in the Tohsaka mansion, a magus and his apprentice were facing each other.
It was the third day since the start of the Holy Grail War.
Before taking action tonight, Tokiomi felt the need to re-evaluate their stance in this war.
The first matter was Kirei's unilateral assault on the hospital.
"Kirei. Would you tell me why you attacked the hospital on your own?"
"…I judged that his Servant and workshop would become the greatest obstacles in the Holy Grail War. When I visited his camp, I could not detect his Servant, so I planned to deal with him on the spot."
"Because you couldn't draw him to our side... A pity."
Tokiomi gently swirled his wine glass. The aroma of the top-quality red wine within pleased his nose.
"…It would have been a viable attempt if Caster was not by his side. However, that sounds like an excuse you just came up with, Kirei. Won't you tell me the truth?"
Kirei remained silent.
What was Tokiomi, with his gentle smile, thinking? Kirei, who had studied magecraft under him for three years, could guess without difficulty.
A failed plan. A deviation from the flow.
To a typical magus like Tokiomi, it was more unpleasant than anything else.
But he hid his displeasure. He comforted Kirei with an elegant smile.
"I respect your opinion. Since you were once a fellow Executor, I imagine you have reasons I am not privy to."
Tokiomi placed his wine glass on the table.
He was not so foolish as to be bogged down by the past and fail to see the future.
Given their three-year master-apprentice relationship, Tokiomi had no intention of making an enemy of him over this incident.
In the end, the will of the Church and the Tohsaka family was the same: victory in the Holy Grail War.
"I wish to establish a new plan for the future based on the information we have gathered so far."
"Understood."
Tokiomi leaned back into the antique sofa. He clasped his hands and continued.
"The plan to grant you, Kirei, autonomy by faking Assassin's death has failed due to Archer's indifference. The failure is painful, but it taught us that Archer is a far more emotional Heroic Spirit than we anticipated."
"Furthermore, Archer was searching for something."
"If we were to obtain that something first, Archer would not be able to ignore our words, but...."
"There were no results."
What was Archer searching for? What could the King of Heroes, who possessed everything in the world, possibly lack?
Tokiomi speculated that it was a treasure created in the modern era.
Kirei speculated that it was the most powerful human.
Each had their own valid reasons, but ultimately, both of their speculations turned out to be wrong.
"Absurdly, the answer was in that hospital. The retired Executor who, at some point, summoned the Witch of Britain as his Servant."
"I have heard that Gilgamesh harbors romantic feelings for him."
"It is not certain."
Tokiomi did not let go of his doubt, but Kirei, seeing his attitude, became convinced of the opposite.
Gilgamesh loved him.
Kirei was a broken man who knew nothing of love or ordinary happiness. But for that very reason, he delved deeper into the mundane than anyone else.
Love blinds people. The best way to kill the most powerful enemy is to use love.
Atrocious methods, such as killing a child in front of their parents, are the most effective.
Gilgamesh was blinded by him.
From the docks on the second day to him wandering the city today... it was certain.
"We must use this information. Lure him out and...."
Kirei snapped his mouth shut, just as he was about to say 'kill him'.
Kill him? There's no need to kill him. On the contrary, that would be an act of making an enemy of Gilgamesh.
Even if they could eliminate Caster, losing Archer would mean elimination from the Holy Grail War.
Why did he want to kill him?
For what purpose did he storm the hospital alone and confront him?
Kirei was confused.
Tokiomi, who had approached him at some point, patted his shoulder and said.
"I shall take care of this matter. I would like you to focus on gathering intelligence using Assassin."
"…As you wish."
Even as he left the mansion, Kirei could not get a hold of his chaotic thoughts.
The retired Executor. He was curious about that nameless man.
Why did this man, who was practically forced to belong to the Church, volunteer for the job of an Executor?
Why does a man with no discernible faith follow God's will?
Kotomine Kirei, filled with faith because he is broken.
And him, broken but without faith.
"…What is my purpose?"
In this Holy Grail War, Kirei would be able to find his answer.
The night of the third day began.