Sister Rescue Plan

Recalling what had just happened, Zouken Matou transformed into something resembling sticky black mud, and Mirai Yusai had an ominous premonition.

Red A was about to attack, but the chain was pulled from behind, leaving him no choice but to turn around and fight back.

“That’s Medusa,” Izayoi Mirai whispered in Rin Tohsaka’s ear. “Be careful of her eyes. Once she takes off her blindfold, anything she sees will turn to stone.”

Knowing the true identity of the enemy Servant allows one to devise a plan based on the Servant's weaknesses, but Rin Tohsaka couldn't come up with a countermeasure for the time being, and Mirai Izayoi wasn't actually familiar with mythology, nor did she know what Medusa's weakness should be.

At that moment, the blond swordsman nimbly slid behind Medusa, his longsword, concealed by the wind, was thrust out without a sound.

Medusa seemed to sense something, but it was too late. A tragic burst of blood bloomed in the air, and a huge wound stretched from her back to her waist, deep enough to expose the bone.

"Beautiful!" Izayoi Mirai excitedly flapped her wings against Rin Tohsaka's head. "As expected of the Old Blade, that righteous backstab was perfectly timed."

"Don't move." Rin Tohsaka brushed the feathers off her head and smoothed her messy hair. "Judging from your tone, you seem to know his identity? You just confirmed that the Servant was Medusa."

"She is your Servant's wife." A muffled voice came from the crow's beak, which Rin Tohsaka did not hear clearly.

"What do you say?"

“It’s nothing,” said Yosuke Mirai. “Why are you asking this? Our alliance has only just been established, and you’re already itching to betray us? You two really get along well.”

"It's preparation for what's to come; we'll have to face each other sooner or later anyway." Rin Tohsaka didn't see anything wrong with it. "Besides, wouldn't it be beneficial for you if I decided to fight her?"

"How about we make a deal?" Izayoi Mirai said. "Rin Tohsaka, you probably don't have a reason to absolutely need the Holy Grail, right? I'll pay for it and buy all ownership of the Holy Grail, how about that?"

"Huh? You think..."

“Ten million.” Izayoi Mirai interrupted Rin Tohsaka, and Rin’s expression visibly wavered, her voice coming out indistinctly.

"Your family must be having a hard time financially right now, right?" Izayoi Mirai's words were like the devil's whisper, guiding her little by little. "Your family's gem magic is already quite expensive. After your parents passed away, the family business was handed over to Kirei Kotomine to manage. He is an excellent priest and an excellent agent, but not a good businessman. In addition, you just happened to encounter the Great Depression, so your savings are not very substantial, right?"

"Who are you? Why do you know so much about my family's circumstances?" Rin Tohsaka tried her best not to think about the tempting number.

“If you dare to come to Fuyuki City, you must know the situation of the big boss.” Yushou Mirai said, “Think about it, the theory of the root is too vague. With your qualifications and the influence of the Gem Elder, if you have enough funds, it is possible to reach the rank of Pawn, the rank of Color, or even the rank of Crown, and bring glory to your family. What’s more, you have a younger sister, don’t you? After rescuing your sister, do you want her to live a life of poverty?”

"Yes, and Sakura too." Rin Tohsaka's hand unconsciously clenched. She had hit the Matou family because she felt guilty towards Sakura. Sakura had suffered so much. As her older sister, couldn't she at least give her a comfortable life?

"Of course, maybe ten million is too little. I can raise the price for you." Seeing that Rin Tohsaka was interested, Mirai Izayoi quickly pressed her advantage. "Fifty million. We can sign a forced magic spell. I'll give you a fifty million deposit first. After the Holy Grail War ends, depending on your contribution, I can add more money. Believe me, it's a very generous gift."

Yosuke Mirai chuckled softly. Why fight and kill when money can solve everything? Anyway, the money was stolen, and it's useless to take it back. After the Holy Grail War, it'll just be a pile of waste paper. It's better to make use of it.

If it weren't for the fact that several hundred million was too terrifying, he would have already knocked Rin Tohsaka unconscious with money.

"Your goal is to obtain the Holy Grail?" Rin Tohsaka seemed to suddenly have her brain working. "If I obtain the Holy Grail, can't I just wish for money? That would be much more than what you're giving me."

Asking the Holy Grail for money is acceptable, but it's far more ambitious than the Queen's plan to wish for travel expenses after the Emperor requisitioned her wallet during World War IV.

Izayoi Mirai patted Rin Tohsaka's head with her wing, and smiled in a very strange way: "You can try, but I'm open to your changing your mind at any time."

Rin Tohsaka frowned. Was there some factor that Izayoi Mirai had overlooked in her confident attitude?

The battle on the scene was gradually coming to an end. After Zouken Matou ambushed Shiori Emiya once, Old Sword never intervened in the battle between Archer and Medusa again. He also dared not attack Zouken Matou. With his strange survival ability, he might not be able to kill him. However, both Medusa's long chains and Zouken Matou's Crest Worms could easily take Shiori Emiya's life, which would be too much of a loss.

However, Medusa, who was severely injured, was already at a disadvantage, and the old sword would occasionally unleash a sharp gust of wind to prevent her from escaping.

Seeing this, Izayoi Mirai shouted, "Old bug, if you don't hand over Matou Sakura, the Matou family's Holy Grail War will end here."

"You mean, if I return her to you, you will leave?"

Rin Tohsaka immediately said, "Of course, our goal is simply to save people."

"I hope you will keep your promise." Zouken Matou transformed into a pool of black water that seeped into the floor and disappeared, seemingly to fetch someone.

So readily agreed? Izayoi Mirai was stunned. Matou Sakura was the Master, and she just handed her over like that. In this Holy Grail War, the Matou family could be said to have lost. Matou Zouken's wish to achieve immortality through the Holy Grail had also vanished. He agreed so readily, there must be a trap.

Archer (Red A) had also thought of this, but he wouldn't ask it in public, while Rin Tohsaka planned to rescue her sister first.

"Tohsaka-senpai?" A quiet and gentle girl walked out, still wearing her pajamas. She looked at the group somewhat timidly, her gaze finally settling on Tohsaka Rin.

Izayoi Mirai and Red A's gazes fell on the back of her hand, which was white and smooth, without the slightest mark.

It wasn't the Master, or rather, were the Command Seals transplanted?

They both breathed a sigh of relief, but Old Sword kept staring at her face, his eyebrows slowly furrowing.

Chapter Twelve: What Does It Feel Like When Your Wife Becomes Your Husband?

"Sakura, come stay at my house." Rin Tohsaka was a little excited. She felt that she had a chance to repair the relationship between the sisters, but she did not expect that Sakura Matou politely and distantly refused the suggestion to move back.

"I'm not familiar with Tohsaka-senpai, so it would be impolite to bother her like this."

This polite refusal left Rin Tohsaka speechless. Anyone unaware of the situation would not have thought there was anything wrong with it, after all, there was also Shiori Emiya, who was in the same club as her and was "more familiar" with her.

"Emiya-senpai, may I stay at your house?" the purple-haired girl asked.

"Oh, no problem." Emiya Shiori nodded repeatedly. Although she didn't know what had happened between the two of them, her helpful nature meant she wouldn't refuse such a thing.

If Rin Tohsaka insists on having Sakura Matou move into her house, it will only ruin their currently acceptable relationship.

She clearly understood this as well, and although she was very unwilling, she did not object.

Old Sword's fingers tightened. Although the temperament was different, the identical appearance made him dare not be careless. No matter how he investigated, Matou Sakura only had the aura of an ordinary person, but he still had a little unease in his intuition.

But they wouldn't listen to such a reason, even if they couldn't bring themselves to say it.

Old Sword lowered his eyes, deciding to report to his Master privately later; it wasn't appropriate to say it now. Didn't he really want to bring that girl named Rin Tohsaka to his house? He'd try to think of a way to do that.

Red A kept glancing at Old Sword, thus noticing the change in his expression, but he didn't quite understand what had happened, while Izayoi Mirai kept an eye on the two of them.

He was curious about what it would feel like for Red A to find himself transformed into a girl and his wife into his husband.

Going from being a vise operator to being drilled by a drilling rig must be very exciting, right?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, Rin Tohsaka climbed Mount Enzo. As previously stated, she came to sign a self-compulsion magic contract with Mirai Izayoi. As for the high deposit he mentioned, she was not tempted at all, nor did she toss and turn all night without sleeping. She rushed over as soon as it was light.

She has always upheld the family motto of maintaining elegance!

The swordsman, dressed in a jinhaori, leaned against the door, holding his sword. He was summoned through the gate of Ryudouji Temple and could not leave this place, which could be considered a flaw of illegal summoning. A red archer stood to the side, wary of this swordsman who was designated as an Assassin.

"Good morning, Rin Tohsaka." Izayoi Mirai, still half asleep after being notified, walked out wearing a dark trench coat and holding a steaming cup of tea.

Medea, who was standing next to him, glared at Rin Tohsaka with hostility. Rin Tohsaka had arrived too early, and Mirai Izayoi had gone to bed very late the night before and hadn't had a good rest at all.

Rin Tohsaka has finally taken this ally seriously. With two Servants, he is probably the Master with the greatest advantage in this Holy Grail War.

"Even if you fight on your own, you have a good chance of winning, right? Why do you need to seek an alliance with me? Show me your hand."

"Because I'm not a traditional magician, and this Holy Grail War is very important to me." Izayoi Mirai shrugged. "Unless I have six powerful Servants who can take down the last one with a normal attack, it's necessary to be cautious."

He turned to the side and gestured to Rin Tohsaka, inviting her in: "Guests are welcome, please come in and have a cup of hot tea."

"You're letting me into a Master's magic workshop? Especially since your Servants are of the Caster class."

Rin Tohsaka was somewhat incredulous. With a casual glance, she could see the dense magical light in the air, far more intricate and complex than any barrier she had ever seen. "Are you planning to take this opportunity to kill me?"

Izayoi Mirai took a sip of her tea: "At least have some faith in me. You're my ally, how could I possibly diminish my own power?"

Rin Tohsaka's gaze was somewhat sarcastic: "Do you trust me now? You could easily choose a place away from where no one has done anything wrong and sit down to discuss this together."

"Of course I trust you, I just don't trust this Mr. Archer."

Yushou Mirai's smile was somewhat enigmatic. "He doesn't have the hero's pursuit of honor. If he were to launch a surprise attack on me, I wouldn't be able to defend myself."

His gaze fell on Rin Tohsaka's right hand, where only one of the original three Command Seals remained: "He's very disobedient, isn't he?"

Izayoi Mirai's words left her speechless. In fact, she wanted to say that it was used to establish the master-servant relationship between herself and her servant, but if he had obeyed her orders from the beginning, there would have been no need to use Command Seals, right?

"As expected, you know his identity too, right?" Rin Tohsaka stared intently at Mirai Izayoi. Since last night, it seemed that he could recognize which hero a Servant was whenever he saw one, as if he had a compendium of Servants.

She wanted to ask him about the true identity of her disobedient servant, but wouldn't that be too embarrassing?

Not even knowing his own Servant identity is a huge disgrace to a Master. Has there ever been a Master this shameful in all the Holy Grail Wars?

Finally, Yoshimi's words dispelled her concerns, and she decided to go in.

"Anyway, if we're going to be enemies, you'll still have to come in and fight my Servants. Even if I were to launch a sneak attack, you've made things easier for me."

“Okay.” Rin Tohsaka stepped across the threshold. As Archer passed by, Mirai Izayoi deliberately took a few steps back to widen the distance between them. Archer stared at him for a few seconds, his eyes deep and unreadable.

The terms proposed by Izayoi Mirai were surprisingly lenient, especially the last one:

Once all other Servants have been eliminated, if Rin Tohsaka is willing to admit defeat, Izayoi Mirai will reward him with no less than twice the deposit he made this time.

In other words, Rin Tohsaka can choose to defeat Mirai Izayoi and obtain the Holy Grail.

"You're really confident." Rin Tohsaka looked at Mirai Izayoi with considerable displeasure. He had previously said that he had to win this Holy Grail War, but then he gave her a chance for a fair fight. Wasn't that looking down on him and thinking that he was sure to win?

However, she would most likely not agree to give up victory.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now." Rin Tohsaka signed her name and stood up to say goodbye.

Are you going to the Emiya family to see your sister?

Rin Tohsaka nodded, forcing herself to cheer up. She believed that with the passage of time, she could definitely turn Sakura Matou back into the cute little sister who followed behind her and called her "older sister."

“Let’s bring her into our alliance too,” said Yushou Mirai. “Your sister lives at her house, so I guess you wouldn’t feel comfortable making a move against her.”

Rin Tohsaka left, and Medea went to prepare breakfast for him. Mirai Izayoi went into the room and reviewed the surveillance footage from last night while monitoring the situation in real time.

Suddenly, his hand stopped. The monitor showed the scene he wanted to see. He went to the kitchen and found Medea:

"Medea, there's no need to make breakfast. Let's go out to eat."

Chapter Thirteen: Eating Spicy Food is Like Getting Gay

Kirei Kotomine scooped up the tofu in front of him. It was tofu that had been carefully cut into small pieces and drizzled with bright red sauce. It looked like lava slowly flowing inside a volcano. Just looking at it made his eyes feel like they were being burned.

With the momentum of annihilating an enemy, he quickly and steadily put the tofu and sauce into his mouth. He abandoned the "numbing" flavor and instead pushed the "spicy" flavor to its extreme, causing goosebumps to rise on his scalp.

A thick steam rose from Kirei Kotomine's head and neck, and a fine layer of sweat seeped from his body.

Nevertheless, he kept scooping the bright red tofu into his mouth, which shows how much he loved Mapo Tofu.

The chef watched this familiar scene with a smile. Nothing speaks louder than diners enjoying their food with such absorption, and for the chef, it was a compliment.

As usual, after paying the bill, he walked out the door, ready to return to the church, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Something's not right. It's too quiet here. Even on a winter morning, there shouldn't be a complete absence of people. His intuition was warning him.