Abnormal Moon

Okita Souji was a little confused.

If it was just a dream, then the feelings in the dream were far too real.

"Saber, what are you doing standing there?"

As I was pondering, a voice came from under the eaves.

Okita Souji snapped out of his daze and looked towards the front yard, just in time to see Roy walking out of the house.

Although it was a winter morning, the boy was still dressed in a simple T-shirt and trench coat, his white hair flying in the morning breeze.

Roy tilted his head back, his blood-red pupils staring directly at Okita Souji, his gaze as cold as winter.

"I'm keeping watch to prevent any sneak attacks!"

The young swordswoman jumped down from the roof and ran excitedly to Roy, her ahoge (cowlick) swaying in the wind.

“Saber.”

"Yes!"

"You are not allowed to materialize before the Holy Grail War officially begins."

"……Eh?"

Okita Souji's mind went blank for a moment, but she quickly recovered.

"Master, do you not want anyone to know that it was you who broke into the underground cavern last night?"

Right.

By now, Bazett has likely woken up and reported what happened last night.

Although the Master's appearance was not revealed, she had actually fought with Bazett, so her face must have been exposed. Once she stepped forward, it would be tantamount to openly admitting that Roy was the criminal who trespassed into the Great Void last night, which would cause Roy a lot of trouble.

That's only part of it.

Roy's expression remained unchanged.

"The reason I told you not to expose yourself is because I have other plans, which shouldn't be difficult for you."

"I understand."

Okita Souji nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Although I don't know what other plans the Master has, it's just that it can't materialize. Although it's a pity that I can't enjoy exploring this era, it's not a difficult thing.

In any case, there are only a few days left before the Fifth Holy Grail War begins, as the Greater Grail has indicated.

As long as it's not exposed before then, it's an easy thing.

"Then let's start now."

Roy nodded and turned to walk into the house.

Okita Souji obediently agreed.

Just as she was about to transform into a spirit, she suddenly remembered the dream she had just had.

The dream of that raging fire that engulfed the entire mountain and burned dozens of lives to ashes.

Masters and Servants are connected not only by magic and contracts, but also by cause and effect.

Common knowledge derived from the Greater Grail states that as the connection between Master and Servant deepens, Master may experience the Servant's past in dreams, thus learning about the Servant's past through dreams.

Servants do not have the ability to sleep, so naturally they do not have the concept of dreaming.

After all, they are already dead. Their current bodies are merely magical bodies, constructed from the basic particles of the magic world—spiritual particles. Once they lose their magical supply, they will immediately disappear.

Then the dream she had must have been the dream of the Master who had signed a contract with her, right?

So, was that a dream, or...?

"Master..."

she blurted out.

"how?"

Roy turned around.

"...No, it's nothing."

Okita Souji paused for a moment, then shook his head and disappeared in spirit form.

Seeing her disappear without a word, Roy raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't ask any questions, and walked towards the kitchen.

Chapter 12 Rin Tohsaka and Ai Hayasaka

morning.

Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her eyes.

What came into view was not my own home, but an unfamiliar ceiling.

"pity."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed in disappointment, resignedly dressed, and got up.

As I stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room, I was greeted by a pleasant aroma wafting from the kitchen next door.

"You're awake. Breakfast is almost ready. Go wash up and eat."

Hearing her footsteps, Roy poked his head out of the kitchen and smiled at Kasumigaoka Utaha.

His attire was as simple and unpretentious as yesterday, with black-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge and a faint smile still playing on his lips, exuding a gentle and approachable demeanor.

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded and entered the washroom.

She felt a little embarrassed. As a servant, she woke up later than her master and even made him make breakfast.

"Master, is this girl your girlfriend?"

Okita Souji's voice entered Roy's mind.

"No, why do you ask that?"

"Oh dear, I always feel like the Master is treating me differently. He's so cold when he talks to me, but so gentle when he talks to this girl. Ah, I absolutely have no feelings of envy or jealousy!"

Okita Souji's resentful voice came through.

Roy could even hallucinate in his mind the way Okita Souji's lips were pouting.

“Saber.”

"Yes."

"I did not use any relics when I summoned you."

"Huh? You're talking about this now? So, you mean...?"

"Yes, I summoned you entirely based on our compatibility."

"How audacious of you, my Master."

Okita Souji listened to the words coming from his mind and was so surprised that he gasped inwardly.

The Hall of Heroes is filled with countless heroes.

If you want to ensure your victory in the Holy Grail War, you must find a way to summon powerful Heroic Spirits.

At this point, you need to use relics, which are things that the Heroic Spirit has left behind in history. These can be weapons or cloaks. In this way, by relying on the affinity of the relics, you can accurately locate the Heroic Spirit you want to summon.

Only in this way can the Heroic Spirit be summoned accurately to help one win the Holy Grail War.

If no artifacts are used, the Greater Grail will automatically summon the Servant with the best compatibility with the summoner during the summoning process.

No one can guarantee the strength of the heroic spirits summoned in this way; they might be as weak as a chick.

After all, great heroes who leave their mark on human history are few and far between; weak heroic spirits are the majority, and their numbers far exceed those of powerful heroic spirits.

Generally speaking, anyone would only have one comment about this kind of behavior of summoning Servants solely based on affinity.

"You freaking don't want to win, do you?"

It's impossible for a Heroic Spirit summoned solely based on affinity to defeat a carefully selected and powerful Heroic Spirit.

To win the Holy Grail War, one should seek out the Holy Relics and summon the powerful Heroic Spirits who have made their mark on history; this is the consensus among the participants of the Holy Grail War.

"I care more about the compatibility between me and my Servants, that is, the quality of our relationship, than how strong they are. Do you understand?"

"oh oh!"

"Therefore, I only have one requirement for you, and that is—to be completely open and honest with me."

"I understand, Master!"

Okita Souji's cheerful voice came through, her tone exhilarated.

"Oh, to be honest, I really want to cooperate with a Master like you! I, Okita Souji, swear to you with the honor of the Shinsengumi that I will be completely loyal to you. If I break this oath, may I... I, um, be hacked to death by everyone in the Shinsengumi!"

Summon Servants based on affinity.

This not only means that Masters can get Servants who are compatible with them, but also that Servants can get Masters who are compatible with them!