In the morning in Fuyuki City, sunlight streaming through spotless glass windows spilled onto the luxurious carpet of the Tohsaka mansion's living room.
Leo sat on the soft sofa, his heart in turmoil.
'I never thought I'd actually end up being watched over by my own Chaldea's hardworking four-star archer single-target damage dealer...'
As a veteran FGO player, he naturally recognized who stood before him.
Emiya, the form of Shirou Emiya after becoming a Guardian—the red-clad Archer.
A Servant who was good at everything domestic, had excellent cooking skills, a sharp tongue, but a kind heart underneath—a top-tier support.
In the game, he had been a professional source of dog food during his early story stages.
But now, this former reliable aide was staring at him with a scrutinizing, vigilant, and clearly impatient gaze, as if he were some extremely unstable hazard.
"Kid, I advise you to behave yourself."
Archer leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his voice low and cold. "Rin's barrier is not something you can break through. Any small moves will only bring unnecessary pain to yourself."
"I understand."
Leo raised both hands in a harmless gesture. "I'm just an ordinary person caught up in this. I have no intention of causing you trouble."
'Though the biggest trouble right now is me...' he added silently to himself.
His knowledge of the Fate/Stay Night storyline wasn't thorough. He only knew that the Holy Grail War involved seven mages with seven Heroic Spirits fighting each other to the death, and that the red-clad Archer before him had a complicated, tangled relationship with Shirou Emiya, Rin's Master and classmate.
But regardless, he was very clear that his "walking charm aura" was like a ticking time bomb for the Holy Grail War, which required secrecy and strategy.
Rin had obviously been swept away by this sudden "love," which was why she had done something so irrational as to confine him to the house.
Archer was clearly more rational.
There was no hint of enchantment in his gaze toward Leo, only pure warrior's vigilance and disgust for troublesome things.
Perhaps the Heroic Spirit's magic resistance, or his steel-like will, made him immune to this kind of spiritual contamination.
Just as Leo was contemplating his situation, the doorbell suddenly rang from outside.
Ding dong—
The crisp chime broke the silence of the living room.
Archer's eyes instantly sharpened, like a hawk locking onto its prey.
He moved silently in a single stride to the window and peeked through a gap in the curtains.
Leo also stood up nervously.
Who would it be at this hour?
Could it be another participant in the Holy Grail War coming to the door?
"Who is it?" Leo asked in a lowered voice.
Archer didn't turn around, only squeezing out a few words through his teeth: "A woman. Never seen her face before. Not one of Rin's classmates."
His tone was full of wariness.
During the Holy Grail War, any stranger at the door could potentially be an enemy coming to probe or launch a surprise attack.
The doorbell rang a few more times. When no one answered, the person outside seemed to grow impatient.
Soon, a young female voice tinged with some frustration and arrogance came through the door.
"Hey! I know you're in there! Stop hiding and come out to see me!"
That voice... sounded familiar?
Leo frowned, searching his memory.
Soon, a pretty face with an aggressive edge surfaced in his mind.
'It can't be... her?'
He remembered.
About a week ago, in search of a way to break his curse, he had gone to the neighboring city of Kanbara.
He had heard there was a fortune teller known as the "Mother of Kanbara," who possessed powerful "Absolute Future Sight" abilities and might be able to point him in the right direction.
As it turned out, he never even got to see that fortune teller. Instead, he had passed by a woman on the street wearing a kimono with a unique aura, humming an unfamiliar tune.
He hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now that he thought about it, that woman's voice seemed to match the voice of the person outside the door.
'Kuro Tsukihime... no, Kuro Tatsuhiko... Kuro Tsukihime...'
The name surfaced from the depths of his memory.
She was a character from "Kara no Kyoukai," a disciple of Azaka Kokutou at Reien Girls' Academy, the younger sister of Kuro Tatsuhiko—a magus with the ability "Ignition."
'How did she find this place? Could it be through her brother, who's basically Google incarnate?'
Leo's heart sank.
Trouble really did come in waves.
"You know her?"
Archer caught the flash of shock on Leo's face and turned around, his eyes like blades.
"Sort of... an accident..."
Leo answered bitterly. "She shouldn't be here for the Holy Grail War. She's after me."
"After you?"
Archer's frown deepened, and displeasure was almost overflowing from his tone.
Outside the door, Kuro Tsukihime had apparently exhausted all her patience.
"Since you won't come out, I'll just come in myself!"
The moment she finished speaking, a wave of scorching heat suddenly surged from outside!
The barrier on the Tohsaka mansion's front door was instantly activated. Ethereal blue magical runes flashed as they collided violently with a crimson heat wave!
Boom!
A dull sound, and the entire mansion trembled slightly.
The barrier held back the flame's impact, but the astonishing heat still raised the temperature in the living room by several degrees.
"A magus?"
Archer's expression turned completely cold, killing intent beginning to coalesce around him. "Doesn't seem like a good person."
"Wait!"
Seeing this, Leo quickly stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Archer. "Please wait! She's really not your enemy!"
"A person who uses magic to attack the Master's residence, and you're telling me she's not an enemy?"
Archer let out a cold laugh, killing intent already flickering in his eyes.
To him, any factor that threatened Rin Tohsaka's safety should be eliminated immediately.
"She's just... just another victim affected by this cursed ability of mine!"
Leo explained urgently. "She's a magus like me, but her system has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War! This is purely my personal grudge. Dragging her into this does you no good in your war!"
He had to convince Archer.
He didn't want to see Kuro Tsukihime die here for no clear reason. Even less did he want to make enemies of the Kara no Kyoukai faction for Rin and Archer because of his own circumstances—bringing down the wrath of Azaka Kokutou and Shiki Ryougi, who should be a married woman by now.
Archer stared at Leo, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, as if evaluating the truth of his words.
The attacks from outside continued.
Kuro Tsukihime was clearly enraged, each flame impact more violent than the last, battering against Rin's barrier with successive booms.
"You're a magnet that attracts trouble."
After a moment, Archer coldly uttered these words.
He seemed to have believed Leo's explanation.
Because Leo's explanation was indeed more reasonable than "an enemy Master launching a daytime assault without any strategy."
"This kind of trouble shouldn't appear on Rin's battlefield."
With that, Archer's body suddenly became ethereal, dissolving into spirit particles that passed directly through the wall.
Leo's heart tightened, unsure what Archer intended to do.
The next second, the sound of flame impacts from outside stopped abruptly.
Everything fell silent.
A few seconds later, Archer's body reconstituted in the center of the living room.
He patted his hands expressionlessly, as if merely brushing off some dust.
"Resolved. I just knocked her out."
Leo exhaled deeply, his tense body going limp. He nearly collapsed back onto the sofa.
"Thank you..."
"Don't thank me."
Archer cut him off, his gaze brooking no argument. "I'm just cleaning up garbage."
He walked up to Leo, looking down at him from above.
"Now, I'm giving you a choice."
"Rin has already made an extremely irrational judgment because of you."
"And you, as I just said, are a troublesome magnet. Today it was this woman. What about tomorrow? What if you attract someone even more problematic? I can't let these meaningless variables affect Rin's safety and our plans."
Archer's words were as cold as ice, yet undeniably realistic.
"So, before I change my mind, disappear from here immediately."
With that, he snapped his fingers.
Leo could feel the magical restraint that had been enveloping the entire mansion, keeping him trapped, quietly dissipate.
The barrier was lifted.
Leo froze.
He hadn't expected that the freedom he'd been dreaming of would arrive so suddenly in this manner.
"You're... letting me go?"
"Don't make me say it twice."
Archer turned away, his back to Leo in his most characteristic pose. "Get as far away as possible before Rin returns, and never show your face in Fuyuki City again."
This was the most rational choice.
Rather than keeping a potential disaster waiting to explode by his side, it was better to exile him completely, letting all the trouble he caused stay far from the core stage of the Holy Grail War.
Leo stood in place, silent for a moment.
He looked at Archer's back, his emotions complex.
There was relief, gratitude, and also a hint of uncertainty about the future.
But he knew this was his only chance.
He didn't say anything more. He simply bowed deeply, then quickly turned and opened the door without looking back, pulling on his hood as he fled this beautiful prison that had confined him for three days.