Inside the fitting room of a lingerie store, Rider, half-undressed and still pressed against Shirou, poked her head out through the gap in the curtain.
"Um, Sakura... why don't you go ask at the counter?"
Sakura Matou nodded. "Yeah, good idea. Rider, come find me once you've picked out your lingerie."
"Mm, okay... Phew."
Rider sighed in relief and pulled the curtain shut again.
As Sakura's footsteps gradually faded into the distance, Shirou finally relaxed.
If anyone discovered him in here, no amount of explaining would ever clear his name.
"I'm going out first."
He couldn't stay in a place like this for another second!
"Wait. If you go out now, Sakura will get suspicious."
As she spoke, Rider grabbed the wrist of the boy who was about to leave.
"No. Staying here is what's dangerous."
Shirou was adamant.
Even setting aside the risk of Sakura suddenly coming back, he was trapped in a cramped space of less than a square meter with Rider, who was wearing nothing but lace lingerie, and he would have to sit there while she tried on one set after another...
Shirou was genuinely worried he might lose control.
"But didn't you say you'd help me judge the lingerie, Shirou? Giving up halfway through... wouldn't that be a little unfair?"
Rider gazed at the boy with eyes like purple gemstones.
As she spoke, she took Shirou's hand and slowly guided it upward along her arm.
The movement was like a snake gradually coiling around its prey, graceful, seductive, and dangerous.
"I don't really know what looks good when it comes to lingerie, and Shirou is the only person I can ask. I'm glad you're here."
"But..."
"Don't worry, Shirou. I promise you won't regret helping me...♡"
Rider stroked his cheek as she spoke.
Shirou fell silent for a long moment. "...Don't let Sakura find out, okay?"
"Hehe."
Rider smiled alluringly.
"Mm. I'll keep it a secret from Sakura."
After that, Shirou and Rider remained in the fitting room until she had tried on all five sets she had brought inside.
Fortunately, Shirou had plenty of experience with women.
If this had been him eight years ago...
After seeing Rider dressed in such sexy lingerie, he might never have been able to look at another woman that way again.
That was how devastating Rider looked in lingerie. She could practically melt the brain of any healthy man.
In the end, Rider followed Shirou's advice and chose three of the five sets.
Once she left the fitting room, Rider's expression returned to its usual aloof look.
"Shirou, don't give anything away in front of Sakura later."
"You're the last person who should be telling me that. You're the one who needs to make sure you don't slip up."
Shirou had already prepared an excuse. He would tell Sakura that he had gone to the restroom in the mall.
"Thank you for helping me choose my lingerie, Shirou."
Rider suddenly spoke in an exceptionally gentle voice.
"Uh... it was nothing."
Shirou had spent the whole day thinking she was deliberately teasing him, so her sudden, sincere thanks left him a little embarrassed.
"If you're really grateful, then don't tease me next time."
Shirou grumbled as he headed toward Sakura Matou and Tiamat, who were waiting for him by the counter.
Not tease you?
...That simply won't do.
Watching the red-haired boy walk away, Rider smiled happily.
Medusa was a monster who had killed countless humans and brought suffering to countless others.
She should not have been allowed to live.
She should not have been allowed to grow up.
That alone would have been best for everyone.
Medusa had always believed that.
And yet, someone had once said to her, when she had already resolved to die and take the Demon Goddess down with her:
"I won't let you die so easily."
"I'll take responsibility and protect you as you grow up."
Shirou, the person who made me who I am today was none other than you.
So...
From now on, I'll win your heart all over again in my own way♡
...
For the past few days, Bazett Fraga McRemitz had been unable to get a good night's sleep.
Even when she used sleep-inducing suggestion Magecraft on herself before going to bed, the moment she closed her eyes, she would still...
Have those dreams.
It was no laughing matter.
She was a woman past the age of twenty with absolutely no experience with the opposite sex, someone who had never known what it was like to be with a man.
Bazett had always assumed she would go through life without ever having anything to do with men, yet for three nights in a row, she had dreamed about the same one.
The same man.
Shirou Amamiya, five years younger than her.
In those dreams, Bazett found herself, again and again...
At first, she still resisted a little, but before long, she became completely lost in it.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly."
"Mm..."
In the dream, Bazett desperately gathered her courage so she would not lose to the fear rising inside her.
A boy younger than herself looked down at her from above.
Her body, which had always been indifferent to men, now burned with overwhelming anticipation and joy.
Bazett Fraga McRemitz gazed up at the red-haired boy through misty eyes.
"Please... love me, Shirou-kun."
...
When she awoke, the red-haired boy was nowhere to be found. There was only the empty room around her.
Bazett, meanwhile, could only go to the washroom with a burning face and wash her undergarments.
...Why was this happening?
Out of pride and embarrassment, Bazett immediately ruled out the possibility that she was simply too sexually frustrated.
Even though that was obviously the most likely explanation. If anyone dared say it aloud, however, she would kick their head in.
Could it be that Fuyuki simply disagreed with her, and that she had somehow fallen under the curse of some unclean presence?
Bazett was an expert in combat, not Magecraft.
Even so, she could tell that something was wrong.
She could temporarily withdraw from Fuyuki and return to London for an examination.
But if she did that, the people at the Association would definitely laugh at her.
"Bazett, you started fantasizing about your target before you even made contact with him, so you came running back with your tail between your legs?"
Absolutely unacceptable!
Bazett decided that, no matter how uncomfortable it was, she would see the investigation through.
Her original plan had been to approach the target while posing as a teacher at Homurahara Academy.
But after the dreams she had been having every night, she abandoned the more restrained approach.
She needed to investigate the nature of his Magecraft?
Then what better way to do that than through combat?
That happened to be Bazett's specialty.
No matter what kind of superhuman opponent she faced, Bazett was confident she could defeat them in a one-on-one battle.
Once she had made up her mind, she headed to the school Shirou Amamiya attended.
Because she was unfamiliar with the area, it was already after school by the time she managed to sneak onto the grounds.
She was wondering whether Shirou Amamiya might have already gone home...
Then, just as Bazett was cursing herself, she saw the figure who had appeared in her dreams every night lately.
There, on the athletic field bathed in twilight, was Shirou Amamiya.
Bazett's eyes widened.
For some reason, the Magus she had come to investigate had remained on the field after school, repeatedly attempting the high jump.
Bazett had not used a Rune of Long-Distance Vision, so from this distance she should not have been able to make out his face.
And yet, strangely enough, she knew at a glance that it was Shirou Amamiya.
It was absolutely not for some indecent reason like seeing him every night in those dreams having left a deep impression on her.
Bazett simply felt...
She could not take her eyes off that boy.
Why?
Bazett herself did not know.
Was it his passion? His concentration? Or was she simply captivated by the sight of him?
Whatever the reason, the image of Shirou Amamiya running and jumping beneath the evening sky felt like something she would remember for the rest of her life.
...
The track and field club's equipment had broken again.
Shirou was asked to come over and repair the damaged gear.
"Seriously, be more careful next time."
"Sorry, sorry! Shirou's just so useful that we got a little rough with it..."
"What exactly do you take me for?"
"I said I'm sorry! We'll take better care of it next time!"
Kaede Makidera stared at Shirou for a moment, then suddenly said, "Come to think of it, Amamiya, you're pretty good at sports, aren't you? Aren't you the ace of the archery club? Since you're already here, why not try out the track and field club?"
"Huh? I need to get home early and make dinner..."
Kane Himuro rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I'm curious about Amamiya's athletic ability as well. Perhaps you've been hiding your true capabilities all this time?"
As she spoke, she began feeling Shirou's body.
"So solid... This is hardly the physique you'd expect from a high school boy who grew up in peaceful times..."
"Stop, stop, stop! Fine, I'll give it a try, okay?!"
After school, Shirou joined the track and field club temporarily to try out a few events.
He raced Kaede Makidera, the club's ace sprinter, in the hundred-meter dash.
Then he competed in the pole vault with Kane Himuro, the club's ace high jumper.
Even though Shirou held back considerably, he still accidentally broke the school record.
"That's incredible... Amamiya-kun, would you like to join the track and field club?"
Manager Yukika Saegusa extended the invitation with sparkling eyes.
"Give it up, Yukika... If you try poaching Amamiya just like that, Fujimura-sensei will go ballistic."
"What a shame."
"Sigh..."
The track and field trio returned to the clubroom to put away the equipment.
Shirou was left alone on the field, still holding the pole he had just used.
He had not gone all out in front of Himuro and the others.
Suddenly, Shirou found himself wondering exactly where his limit was.
Without relying on Magecraft or martial arts, just how far had eight years of physical training taken him?
On the deserted athletic field, Shirou charged toward the highest limit he could reach.
...
Bazett walked alone along a street beneath the faint moonlight.
She had run away.
That was not an inaccurate way to describe it.
For the first time in her life, she had fled from a mission entrusted to her.
Several hours earlier, after seeing Shirou Amamiya running and jumping on the athletic field...
Bazett had suddenly lost the courage to face him.
Shirou Amamiya was even more dazzling than she had imagined.
He possessed extraordinary talent beyond anything an ordinary person could conceive of, yet he was still living a peaceful life.
And I was going to destroy that life?
Just because I want recognition, just because I want to rise through the ranks of the Association, I was going to use a sixteen-year-old boy's life as a stepping stone?
The mere thought of what she had been about to do made Bazett sick.
She decided she would leave Japan first thing tomorrow morning and abandon the mission.
No. Simply abandoning the mission was not enough.
She would report to the Association that Shirou Amamiya's Magecraft was nothing remarkable and that he was not worth a Sealing Designation.
Protecting his ordinary life.
That was the one thing Bazett could do for Shirou Amamiya.
She and Shirou Amamiya would probably never meet again, Bazett thought.
Goodbye...
Shirou Amamiya, the man who might have been my first love...
"..."
The streets were unusually quiet tonight.
Fuyuki was hardly a major city, but it was still strange for the streets to be completely deserted at seven in the evening.
Bazett had been so lost in thought that her senses were not as sharp as usual.
"..."
When she finally came to her senses, she noticed a figure standing at the top of the slope.
It was a tall, shapely woman whose eyes were covered by a leather blindfold. The rest of her features were strikingly beautiful.
She stood with effortless grace, like a Grim Reaper who had melted into the darkness.
Bazett heard the clink of chains.
Two Short Blades connected by a chain appeared in the woman's hands. Rider released a murderous aura at the same time.
"Who are you?"
Bazett asked warily.
Even by the standards of the Magecraft world, where eccentric clothing was hardly unusual, the woman's appearance stood out.
Then a term that supposedly existed only in legend flashed through Bazett's mind.
"Ghost Liner..."
"Are you... a Servant?"
Four Holy Grail Wars had once been held on this land.
The truth behind the final ritual remained unknown.
Which meant this woman was...
Rider spoke coldly.
"Prepare yourself. This is where you die."
"...What?"
Bazett's expression faltered as she instinctively raised her fists.
But...
Those hands and feet, which had defeated countless powerful enemies in the past, were now filled with hesitation and fear.
It was not because she feared her opponent's strength.
Quite simply...
Bazett no longer possessed the same sharp edge she once had.
"Wait. Please, wait. I... I have no reason to fight you. And you have no reason to fight me either."
"You came here for Shirou, didn't you? Sealing Designation Enforcer of the Mage's Association."
"I won't let you lay a finger on him, and I won't allow him to become a fugitive from the Magecraft world."
"So you'll die here."
Rider spoke coldly as she lowered her stance, ready to charge.
"No! I... I won't fight you! I have no intention of hurting Shirou Amamiya!"
"This is... a misunderstanding! Yes, it's a misunderstanding. Please, let me explain!"
Bazett shouted, her face pale, but Rider had no interest in what she was saying.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you're dead, Shirou will be safe. That's all I need to know."
"..."
After a long silence, Bazett clenched her fists.
"Don't underestimate me. I'm not going to stand here and let you kill me."
Facing a being beyond humanity, a Heroic Spirit, the female Magus assumed a fierce combat stance.
...
"Rider-san certainly looks motivated... Good, Shirou."
"Once Rider has beaten Bazett half to death, seize your chance to step in and rescue the damsel in distress."
Standing on high ground overlooking the two women confronting each other below, Caren laid out the next stage of the plan.
"Do we really have to go this far?" Shirou asked, speechless.
Caren rolled her eyes. "Are you planning to throw away the life you have now?"
"Of course not."
"Mm-hmm. Then be good and follow my instructions. If you do this properly, Bazett will do whatever you tell her."
Caren spoke with obvious enthusiasm.
This was the perfect "female fall" scenario she had devised specifically for Bazett, a woman with no luck with men despite secretly longing for love.
The Iron Maiden of the Sealing Designation Bureau would fall in love with Shirou after he saved her. It was a straightforward plot anyone could understand.
Shirou also believed that, if he followed Caren's instructions, he could successfully win Bazett over and avoid the future in which he received a Sealing Designation.
But...
Wasn't this too cruel?
Wasn't this basically toying with her feelings?
Shirou had already read Bazett's file, courtesy of Caren.
She had worked so hard, yet no one around her had ever truly acknowledged her.
Even though she had never received the treatment she deserved, she continued to obey orders with rigid diligence.
In the end, there was no place for her in the Mage's Association, and they had dumped her on Shirou like an unwanted burden.
Maybe...
Those people at the Association had intended from the very beginning to use Shirou to get rid of Bazett.
"..."
Shirou made his decision.
***
...
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