Chapter 334: Matou Shinji Is Actually Miyu
Given the choice, whether magus or ordinary viewer, everyone wanted the same thing—to see Illya vs. Bazett, one-on-one, no distractions.
The magi wanted the juicy Clock Tower parallels.
The casual fans just wanted to see an epic, beautifully choreographed beatdown.
But the production team, sly as ever, decided to cut the camera away right at the most critical moment—just as Illya was launching her counterattack—and switched over to Rin Tohsaka and Luvia Edelfelt's side plot instead.
Naturally, viewers were furious.
Still, the editor knew exactly what he was doing—after that flurry of nonstop action, the audience needed a breather before the next impact.
Fortunately, Rin and Luvia's classic bickering didn't last long—just a few minutes later, the screen cut back to the Edelfelt manor courtyard, where the real fight resumed.
Before the switch, Illya had just trapped Bazett and was about to fire.
When the camera returned, the viewers saw Bazett twist her body in an impossibly graceful motion, narrowly dodging the blast.
"Damn… that waist—what a waste not to use it for yakiniku."
Watching Bazett's spine-bending movement, Shinji let slip a comment that nobody else in the room could make sense of.
"Yakiniku? Don't tell me, Shinji, you wanna take that woman out for grilled meat?"
Shiki immediately jumped to the most chaotic possible conclusion. "I wouldn't recommend it though! You'll end up eating garlic, onions, and ginger—then what? Are you planning to torture your mouth or your little Shinji Jr. later?"
"..."
What was supposed to be a throwaway comment suddenly spiraled into madness.
Shinji blinked, genuinely thrown off.
Now that she mentioned it… he'd never actually tried letting a girl, uh, do that after eating garlic.
What would that even be?
A preemptive mouth sterilization, followed by a secondary cleansing?
Damn it… now he kind of wanted to find out.
Boys, after all, are born curious creatures with self-destructive curiosity levels.
And after Shiki's mischievous teasing, Shinji's brain had officially entered "what if?" mode.
He'd experimented before—had girls use mint candies or breath fresheners—but garlic?
That was a debuff condiment, not a buff.
He looked up, contemplative. "Hey, Shirou…"
The redhead instantly shivered at the way Shinji was staring at him. "...What?"
"Would you be interested in trying it out for me? Then come back and tell me how it feels?"
Shirou patted his best friend's shoulder with a sigh heavy enough to shake the world.
"Shinji… if you ever did something even remotely decent, you might stop being such a waste of oxygen."
"Shirou, don't talk like that hamster."
Realizing how heinous his own line had sounded, Shinji could only grumble in weak protest.
Even he had to admit… yeah, that might've been a little too much.
Shiki spread her hands in mock exasperation. "Ahh~ Men. You really are hopeless."
"Excuse me! You're the one who started it!"
"Don't you dare slander me, Shinji~" she replied, feigning innocence with a smirk.
"Can you all just—stop!?"
Shinji groaned, half embarrassed, half defeated. He was starting to regret being so casual with his mouth.
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On screen, Bazett had already begun her counterattack.
To prevent Illya from binding her again, Bazett slammed her fist into the ground, tearing up a thick layer of turf to obscure Illya's view.
Then, as Illya flinched in surprise, Bazett punched straight through the grass and earth—her fist connecting with Illya's stomach.
The ground exploded. Turf and dirt scattered everywhere.
Illya was sent flying several meters, landing hard and curling up in pain.
Before she could even get up, Bazett stepped forward, grabbed her by the arm, and lifted her clean off the ground.
In the manga, Bazett had grabbed Illya by her slender white leg, effortlessly hoisting her into the air.
Unfortunately, the real world of Type-Moon still obeyed Newton's laws, and no matter how many retakes Shinji supervised, there was no way to pull off that shot without accidentally flashing Illya's panties.
So in the live-action version, they had no choice but to make Bazett grab her by the arm instead.
Hiroyama, of course, in the original manga, had shown no such restraint—he proudly followed Sir Isaac Newton's will to the letter, and when Bazett lifted Illya by the leg…
Let's just say her pure white underwear was on full display.
Ahem!
Illya, struck hard by Bazett's devastating blow, had completely lost her ability to fight back. With effortless precision, Bazett retrieved the Lancer card from her weakened opponent.
Just as she was about to collect the remaining cards scattered around, a shadow darted from the rubble—Chloe, who had been knocked unconscious moments ago, suddenly reappeared!
Because of their linked sensations, the very punch that stunned Illya had jolted Chloe awake.
But even with her return, the balance of battle didn't change.
Chloe was undeniably strong, wielding Archer's powers with masterful grace—but against Bazett, even that wasn't enough.
Meanwhile, Illya, trembling and battered, dragged herself weakly across the ground. Following Chloe's desperate instructions, she reached for one of the fallen cards.
But just as her fingers brushed the edge of it, a black leather shoe stepped down on her wrist.
Bazett had already finished with Chloe, reclaiming every other card.
"For someone your age," Bazett said coldly, her voice indifferent yet oddly respectful, "you've held out surprisingly well."
Then her tone hardened.
"Now. Take your hand off the card."
"No!"
Illya's refusal was instant, sharp, defiant.
Bazett's expression darkened, her patience running out.
"You still don't get it, do you? I've been going easy on you."
"If I wanted, I could rip that card off—along with your hand."
Her eyes glinted dangerously.
"Keep being stubborn, and I'll crush your bones."
"..."
Illya's small body trembled. She lowered her head, her voice trembling with tears.
"I… I'm sorry..."
Bazett blinked, momentarily confused. "So you've finally decided to su—"
But Illya's apology wasn't directed at her.
"I'm sorry… Chloe..."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she whispered,
"You fought so hard to buy me time, but I couldn't even get the cards back..."
"But at least—"
"This one… this one card—"
Her small hand tightened around it, knuckles white.
"I'll never hand it over…!"
"Tch."
Seeing the child's unyielding resolve, Bazett exhaled sharply. She was done negotiating.
"Fine then. You asked for it—prepare yourself!"
She raised her foot high—ready to bring it down and shatter Illya's wrist—
But she never got the chance.
The Law of Last-Second Rescue activated.
Just before the impact, a blue flash streaked in.
BAM!
Even though Bazett reacted instantly, blocking on instinct, a scorching blast of mana struck her arm, burning straight through her suit sleeve.
"Ahaha~"
From where she lay slumped against the broken wall, Chloe managed a weak grin.
"You finally showed up… scary onee-san~"
"Hmph. One after another… like moles popping out of the ground."
Bazett scoffed disdainfully.
Despite the burn on her arm, she still didn't take the newcomer seriously.
Another little girl—what could she possibly do?
Bazett was cold.
But Miyu was colder.
If Bazett was a machine built to follow orders, a heartless professional devoted to the mission—then Miyu was the kind of person who'd watch the world burn without blinking, so long as Illya was safe.
So when she saw Illya lying bloodied and broken, Miyu's expression changed—the same way Kakarot's face changed when Krillin died before him.
"Illya..."
Kneeling down beside her, Miyu gently checked her friend's condition.
Illya, trembling, handed her the card.
"We lost… me, Chloe… and probably even Luvia and the others…"
She didn't need to say more.
Miyu, sharp as ever, instantly understood everything that had happened.
Honestly, there wasn't much left to figure out.
The scene before Miyu made it painfully clear: the short-haired woman in the suit had just taken down everyone—everyone except her.
"Don't worry, Illya. Leave the rest to me."
Rising to her feet, Miyu gripped the card tightly, her calm voice filled with quiet determination.
"Illya—this time, I'll protect you!"
A dazzling magic circle flared to life beneath her.
—Magical Girl Miyu: Second Transformation, Activate!
A violet visor covered her eyes.
A sleek black battle suit shimmered into view.
Her long hair flowed freely behind her—and from her back, wings of a Pegasus unfurled!
Dream Summon: Rider Miyu — now on stage!
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"Ha! As expected."
Watching the cheerful ending theme of Fate/Kaleid Liner Magical Illya roll in, Aoko crossed her arms with an amused sigh.
"Of course they ended the episode right when the main cast gets a new power-up. Classic."
"C'mon," Fujita grinned. "This episode was basically one nonstop fight. You had to love it, right? Pure adrenaline from start to finish."
"Excitement? Maybe. But you know what really caught my attention?"
Aoko's lips curled into a devilish smirk.
"The juicy gossip about the Clock Tower. Don't tell me Shinji isn't throwing shade at them. He has to be. He totally is. Definitely is!"
She said it three times, like a gossip spell—utterly lost in her own conspiratorial glee.
"So that Bazett woman—she's obviously representing the Aristocrat Faction, right?"
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Then who are Illya, Chloe, and Miyu supposed to be?"
Fujita pushed up his glasses, face glowing with the self-satisfaction of a man about to unleash a theory.
"Who else could they be? Clearly Shinji, Waver, and Lord El-Melloi himself. The three giants of Modern Magecraft Department!"
"Wait, hold up."
Aoko blinked. "You're saying Shinji's Illya? You realize Illya just spent the entire episode getting her face caved in, right? What is he, a masochist?"
"Of course not!" Fujita waved his hands dramatically. "Shinji isn't Illya. Illya represents Lord Kayneth. Think about it—she's from the Einzbern family, one of the old bloodlines of magi. That fits the aristocratic theme."
He was just getting warmed up.
"Now, Chloe's the easy one. She's Illya's counterpart—just like Waver is Kayneth's disciple and successor."
A pause. Fujita leaned in, eyes glinting with mock-serious conviction.
"So the only one left—the one who arrives as the savior, the key figure holding the team together—must be Miyu."
"And that means… Miyu is Shinji!"
He slammed the table for emphasis, utterly convinced of his revelation.
If Shinji himself had heard that ridiculous theory, he probably would've just shrugged and said,
"You know what? Miyu's not a bad fit."
After all, he and Miyu did have one thing in common.
They were both people out of place in this world.
Both travelers, crossing from one reality into another.
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