Bang!
The pickup lurched violently.
Because Shale had fastened her seat belt, she remained firmly planted in the driver's seat.
Kiritsugu, however, was nowhere near as fortunate.
Having grown accustomed to riding without a seat belt, he was nearly thrown out of the passenger seat, his face slamming squarely against the windshield.
"Damn it..."
"Hahahahaha!"
Amid Shale's cheerful laughter, the two soon arrived at a weathered two-story stilt house perched atop the mountain.
Beside it stood a smaller building that looked like a storage shed.
Though both structures remained sturdy, the years had clearly taken their toll.
On the veranda outside the main house was a wooden display rack.
Lined neatly across it were white lilies growing in metal cans filled with soil.
Each pot was carefully labeled, numbered from 1 to 99.
After getting out of the truck, Kiritsugu jogged over to the window of the so-called "storage shed."
The room inside was dim.
When he noticed a faint light flickering within, he knew the person inside was still working.
Rather than interrupt, he quietly stepped away and entered the neighboring house instead.
Tying on an apron, he enthusiastically began preparing dinner.
As for Shale, she simply said,
"I'll go see if Professor Norikata needs any help."
Then she disappeared into the "storage shed."
Before long, Kiritsugu carried several steaming bowls of thick fish and shrimp soup out to the open-air dining table.
The fragrant white steam rising from each bowl was irresistibly inviting.
"All right."
"That should do it."
He let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled proudly at his handiwork.
Just then—
A bespectacled man emerged from the shed carrying a pot containing a white lily labeled 100.
He wore a white dress shirt with the collar unbuttoned.
His beard was unkempt.
His black hair hung messily over his forehead and ears.
His dark eyes lacked any visible spark, giving him a weary, almost defeated appearance.
At first glance, he looked like someone anyone could bully.
This man was Norikata Emiya—
Kiritsugu's father.
One of the most dangerous magi to receive a Sealing Designation from the Mage's Association, headquartered at the Clock Tower.
That was precisely why they were living in isolation on this remote Southeast Asian island.
To Kiritsugu, however...
His father was simply a gentle and peaceful man.
He could not understand why someone like him had been given a Sealing Designation.
In truth, having never received any formal instruction in Magecraft, he didn't even know what a Sealing Designation actually meant.
All he knew was—
This was his father.
And that alone was enough.
"Father..."
"Is that a new one?"
Every time he saw his father's beautiful flowers multiplying one after another, almost as though they had been cloned, Kiritsugu couldn't help feeling amazed.
"Yes."
Norikata paused and smiled faintly.
"Today marks the completion of my hundredth successful specimen."
"A day worth commemorating."
"Kiritsugu..."
"Would you like to place this one on the rack yourself?"
He gently offered the flowerpot to his son.
"Really?"
"I can?"
"Of course."
Norikata nodded.
Kiritsugu carefully accepted Pot No. 100 and walked over to the display rack.
With the utmost care, he placed it into the space that had long been reserved for it.
Now...
Every position on the rack was filled.
An unbroken sea of pure white lilies stretched before him.
"They never wither..."
Kiritsugu murmured sincerely.
"Because I control their time."
"They will never grow any further..."
"But neither will they ever wilt."
Norikata folded his arms and leaned against the veranda railing.
The confidence radiating from him at that moment was completely different from his usual weary demeanor.
"So amazing..."
Kiritsugu couldn't help marveling.
Not only at the immortal flowers before him—
Whenever his father spoke about his research, he became an entirely different person.
"The flowers remaining unwithered is certainly beautiful..."
Norikata's expression gradually darkened.
"But the real question is..."
"Can the same theory be applied to human beings?"
Just then—
Shale came running out of the shed carrying another flowerpot.
Since both her hands were occupied, she nudged the door shut with her hip.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
"Shale, what's that?"
Kiritsugu asked curiously.
"Look!"
"This is my very first successful specimen!"
Like a child proudly showing off a treasured possession, she presented the flower to both Norikata and Kiritsugu.
Since the rack was already full, she carefully crouched down and placed the flowerpot beside it, near the veranda railing.
Kiritsugu knelt beside it for a closer look.
To his eyes...
It was almost indistinguishable from the flowers his father had cultivated.
Without the label, he would never have guessed which one belonged to Shale.
Fortunately, she had labeled hers as well.
"S... h... i... r... e... l... y..."
"Shirely..."
"Shale?"
Kiritsugu slowly sounded out each letter.
He soon realized she had used her own name as the designation for her very first creation.
Norikata smiled.
"She made it by imitating my methods whenever she had spare time while assisting me."
"It seems she has real talent for Magecraft."
"N-No..."
Shale blushed and waved her hands frantically.
"Professor, you did most of the work."
"I only helped with the very last step."
The family of three sat together around the dinner table, chatting while they ate.
"That's still incredible!"
Kiritsugu couldn't help exclaiming.
His father accomplishing something like this made sense.
But Shale...
She was only a little older than he was.
Seeing her succeed ignited an overwhelming curiosity within him.
His desire to understand the world's mysteries finally overcame his hesitation.
"Um... Father..."
"Hm?"
"What is it?"
Kiritsugu gathered his courage.
"The thing Shale made..."
"Could I... try making one too?"
"That's right!"
Shale immediately chimed in.
"If Kelly helps, I'm sure he can do it!"
"Right, Professor?"
"No."
Norikata's calm refusal instantly wiped the smiles from both children's faces.
"Kiritsugu."
"It's still too early for you."
"This isn't a game."
"It can be dangerous."
"I only allowed Shale to try after deciding she had accumulated enough knowledge and experience."
"For you..."
"It's still too soon."
That...
Was a lie.
The truth was that a Magic Crest could only be inherited by one successor.
If a magus had two disciples—or two children—the situation would become much like that of the Tohsaka Family.
One option was to abandon one heir entirely, allowing them to live as an ordinary person or begin from nothing.
Another was to adopt one child into another magus family that lacked an heir and was on the verge of dying out.
Among magi...
Those were considered the most responsible solutions.
But compared with either of those...
There was an even simpler.
Far more ruthless.
Method.
…
That night—
Kiritsugu leaned alone against the veranda railing.
The 101 pots of white lilies surrounded him, each giving off a faint glow beneath the night sky.
From time to time, he glanced toward the nearby "storage shed" with lonely eyes.
Through its small window, illuminated by warm lamplight, he watched his father and Shale working together.
It felt as though...
They belonged to one world.
And he belonged to another.
They were over there.
He was over here.
Yet...
Whenever he saw Shale diligently taking notes...
Whenever he watched the beautiful profile of the cheerful young girl...
Every trace of dissatisfaction quietly melted away.
At that moment...
Kiritsugu understood something with perfect clarity.
He had fallen in love with the girl named Shale.
Whether it was she who inherited his father's research...
Or himself...
It no longer mattered.
The realization filled his heart with unexpected peace.
The world suddenly seemed vast again.
His mood immediately brightened.
He imagined that one day...
When Shale completed her studies...
When his father was no longer hunted by those terrible people...
The three of them would travel the world together.
They would finally see the beautiful world that was far too vast to spend an entire lifetime hiding from.
Instead of forever fleeing...
Instead of remaining trapped on this isolated island.
"I can't wait to grow up..."
Kiritsugu murmured.
He raised his hand toward the star-filled sky, peering through the gaps between his fingers.
Countless brilliant stars were reflected in the young boy's dark eyes—
Eyes filled with boundless hope for a beautiful future.
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