Night fell. In the bedroom.
Sajou Manaka lay on her stomach on the soft bed. Her fair, smooth calves, clad in a pair of pure white loose socks, peeked out from under her green dress. They swayed up and down in time with the soft tune she was humming, like waves lapping at the shore, inspiring fanciful thoughts.
"Tokisaka Tohsaka, Irisviel von Einzbern, Waver Velvet, Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald, Matou Zouken..."
As if reciting a list, the girl lightly wrote the names in a notebook, a pure and innocent smile on her lovely face.
But finally, as if slightly troubled, Sajou Manaka stopped her pen. She tilted her head, the end of the pen pressing a small, elastic dimple into her tender cheek. She puffed out her cheeks and muttered in frustration.
"But I really can't 'see' the last person now, can I?"
Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Although the girl had anticipated this, she hadn't expected the "future" to change so drastically.
In fact, when she was still young, she had already known about the so-called Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City. But at the time, after just a few glimpses into the "future," she had lost interest in the ritual.
It wasn't until her "plan" began—the plan to heal her adoptive brother's eyes—that she started "viewing the future" again. But she discovered that some things had become blurry and unknowable, and some had even changed.
Sajou Manaka guessed that this was all because, at the moment she made her decision, she had introduced the "unknown" young man into the ritual.
Therefore, she could now only rely on her memories and the parts of the "future" she could still see to predict the course of the Holy Grail War.
But honestly, this sense of the unknown didn't make the girl anxious. On the contrary, it piqued her interest.
As expected of the one destined to become my prince. He's already bringing me "surprises"...
A small smile played on Sajou Manaka's lips, her eyes filled with satisfaction.
Although she was a little surprised that Aozaki Rin had chosen to join her in the Holy Grail War, thinking about his personality, it was also to be expected.
Her only slight annoyance was that when she finally obtained the Holy Grail and healed his eyes, the "emotion" and "surprise" of that moment would be somewhat diminished. But that didn't matter.
Because by that time, Sajou Manaka felt that she should have nearly maxed out the young man's dependency on her. Healing his eyes would simply be the final, decisive blow.
At this thought, the girl's eyebrows relaxed cheerfully once more. But then she subconsciously recalled the young man's sincere, vow-like expression from that morning.
"He hasn't even 'evolved' into a 'Prince Charming' yet, and he's already learned to say things like that... Just a mere Rei, and he's already so bold..."
The warmth of the young man's hand seemed to linger on her fingertips. Sajou Manaka felt her body temperature rise, and a sense of anxiety crept into her heart. She grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it tightly, burying her lovely face in it. As if unable to comprehend this feeling of frustration, she began to kick her legs more forcefully, pattering against the bed for a while before she slowly lifted her face, the tips of her ears slightly hot.
"It was never like this when we used to bathe together... Why is it happening now..."
She felt nothing when she initiated contact, but her heart raced when he touched her... Knowing that the young man was still several stages away from her ideal "Prince Charming," Sajou Manaka was momentarily confused.
She subconsciously looked at her right hand—the one Aozaki Rin had held firmly that morning, sealing his promise. A gentle curve unconsciously formed on her lips.
But a moment later, as if snapping back to reality, the girl scrambled up from the bed and patted her own cheeks, as if to force herself to wake up.
"Get a grip, Manaka! If this keeps up, it'll be the complete opposite of the 'plan'! You're the one who's supposed to be in 'control'!"
Pressing her hand to her chest, she took a few deep breaths to calm the strange emotions in her heart.
But a moment later, the soft feeling from her fingertips reminded her of another worry that had been quietly weighing on her mind.
"It's all nonsense that drinking milk will make you grow bigger... Maybe I should try papaya next time..."
Looking down at a certain part of her body that had barely grown since she was 14, the girl couldn't help but let out a small sigh.
After all, she was now 17. While Manaka wasn't dissatisfied with her petite and lovely figure, one always hopes to become a little more perfect.
"Speaking of which, I wonder if the Holy Grail can do something like that..."
In the bedroom, the girl's thoughts began to deviate from her original "plan," taking a strange turn.
...
Germany, Einzbern Castle.
In a brightly lit, spacious dining hall, a handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in silver armor and a blue cape that immediately brought the word "knight" to mind, sat at the dining table.
However, looking at the lavish spread of various dishes on the table, the young man was not feasting with relish, nor did his eyes show any anticipation. On the contrary, the smile on his face was on the verge of collapsing, his lips curved in a somewhat forced arc.
All of this was because the young man, Saber—Arthur Pendragon, who had manifested for this Holy Grail War—had, a few minutes prior, agreed to a request from his Master, Irisviel von Einzbern, who was sitting at the other end of the table. She had said, "Saber, I know this might be a bit rude, but could I ask you a few questions to satisfy my curiosity?"
At the time, the upright Knight-King had nodded readily without hesitation, signaling for his Master to speak freely.
And then, "hell" began...
"Saber, I've heard that love among the British can be a bit... special. Even between people of the same gender. Is that true?"
"Was it like that in your era, Saber? Were there any Knights of the Round Table that you liked?"
"Ah, I know! If there was someone, it must have been Sir Lancelot, right? According to the legends, you two were very close. But then again, Sir Bedivere, the court steward, is also a possibility..."
Watching his high-spirited Master, who seemed to have read some strange books and learned some strange things in the past, continuously spout terrifying terms like "top and bottom" and "dominant or submissive," Arthur Pendragon could only manage a strained smile and reply.
"Master, I believe you may have some misunderstandings about the people of historical Britain. This is absolute slander..."
"Is it? But... isn't that your 'custom'?"
Hearing the silver-haired, red-eyed woman's innocent, seemingly genuine question, a thought couldn't help but flash through the Knight-King's mind.
—Women of the modern era are so scary, Merlin!
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