"O-Onee-san? Are you calling that?"
The newly coined nickna piqued dusa's curiosity.
Shinji's eyelid twitched as he ntally cursed himself. He had accidentally used a familiar nickna from his past life's online slang. Fortunately, his quick thinking allowed him to co up with an explanation.
"Yes, that's right. Using just the class na feels distant, and it can't be used exclusively to refer to you. After all, I've encountered other Riders before. Using your true na would expose your identity, so this is a compromise. Rider-sister, shortened to R-sis—how about that? It's a pretty good na, isn't it?"
"Sister... Sister?"
With her eyepatch now gone, dusa's expressions were much more visible.
"I-I've never been an older sister before, so I'm not sure if I can do it well."
"You can do it. Even Sakura sees you as a sister. The surveillance is only at night, so during the day, find so ti to let Sakura pick out so casual clothes for you. Just imagine, walking down the street, your head-turning rate would be 300 percent. Then you'll realize just how attractive you are. So, it's settled. We'll discuss the details over breakfast tomorrow. Look forward to it."
With that, Shinji waved his hand and left with Fujino and Kirie.
The reason Shinji treated dusa this way wasn't because he had any inappropriate intentions toward her. Although back in the day, R-sis's doujinshi had been quite useful, helping him through many sleepless nights, seeing her in person with that slightly lancholic, cold beauty made those thoughts vanish. Instead, he just wanted her to live a happier life and enjoy this era more—this was a wish born from a good heart.
But this mindset was known only to Shinji. The others weren't aware, and naturally, Kirie misunderstood.
"R-sis, R-sis, you're calling her so affectionately, even though you already have —tell , don't you have any intentions toward her?"
"What are you talking about?"
Shinji found this amusing.
"We've only just t; how could I have any intentions toward her?"
"Who knows? She's beautiful and has a great figure. You might have so inappropriate thoughts."
Kirie huffed, her tone full of tsundere jealousy.
"Hah~ So this is how you see ? I'm heartbroken."
Shinji exaggeratedly sighed, adopting the deanor of a lancholic prince.
However, having known each other for years and understanding each other well, Kirie wasn't fooled.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just not attractive because of my figure, so you don't like ."
The won living in the Matou household were all well-endowed, with Kirie being the only exception. Possibly due to her childhood illness and long hospital stays, she spent her entire adolescence bedridden, missing out on proper developnt. When she first left the hospital, she was so thin she looked like she could be blown away by the wind. Although she had improved significantly over the years, she was still the most slender and delicate of the family.
"Why are we suddenly talking about this?"
Shinji was exasperated by Kirie's train of thought.
"Your figure isn't bad at all. Plenty of girls would be envious of your waist. And, seriously, I have no intentions toward R-sis. Even if I did, it would only be to help her break free from the chains of her past and enjoy her second life. Whether you believe it or not, that's the truth."
"I believe you."
Fujino, who had been quietly observing, suddenly spoke up.
Kirie's expression froze, and she glared at Fujino.
"Fujino, you sneaked up on again. Just wait, I'm going to tear your mouth apart!"
"You're in your intangible form right now; you can't tear anything."
Fujino quietly reminded her.
"I—just you wait..."
At this point, even with a Servant's hearing, dusa could no longer hear what the distant group was saying.
dusa watched the three of them leave and then reached out to gently touch the purple glasses on her nose.
"A second life, huh? It isn't bad..."
◇◇◇
Sakura had sent dusa to find Shinji, not out of concern but because she knew her brother's strength better than anyone.
To her, her brother was the epito of power. Aside from monsters like Zelretch, who had been famous for over a thousand years, or their legendary ntor, Queen Scathach, no one was stronger than her brother. Even Lorelei, who was considered the pinnacle of modern magi, couldn't compare!
The reason she called Shinji back had to do with sothing more important.
Just a few minutes ago, the Matou family's staff stationed near Fuyuki Airport reported that a private luxury jet had landed, the first in a long ti. The jet was said to belong to a super-rich magnate from the Middle East.
Sakura knew that one of the participants in this Holy Grail War was a wealthy oil tycoon from the Middle East. It was highly likely that this was him.
Shinji's reaction upon hearing the report confird Sakura's judgnt.
"No need to think about it. It's that flashy guy Atrum. His biggest hobby is... well, wasting money, throwing it around wherever he goes, afraid that people don't know he exists, or that they don't know he's rich. Even though he's supposedly holding back a bit for the Holy Grail War, old habits die hard. Sigh, he doesn't realize that the more flamboyant you are in the Holy Grail War, the quicker you die."
As he spoke, Shinji's smile was one of pure delight.
Before receiving this news, he had been a bit worried that the heavy blows dealt to Atrum during the Iselma incident might have prompted him to change his strategy. But now, seeing Atrum's ostentatious arrival, Shinji was completely reassured.
This guy hadn't changed at all. If he doesn't die, who will?
"Brother, I think we should still be cautious. This could be a disguise," Sakura said cautiously, unaware of the details.
Shinji's smile didn't falter as he nodded.
"While I doubt it, it's always better to be cautious. The principle of underestimating the enemy strategically while taking them seriously tactically never goes out of style. You're a Master now—how about using this guy as a practice target?"
"Hmm..."
Sakura thought for a mont and then shook her head.
"I don't think that's a good idea. At this stage, we should remain restrained, not actively provoke fights or expose ourselves. Instead, we should use our advantage in information to gather intel on the other Masters and Servants. You've always said that battles between magi are battles of information."
"Go on, be more specific."
"I've already sent our people to investigate the identities of the welcoming party and the license plates of their vehicles. Once we have that information, we can trace it back to their base. That way, we'll have the initiative, and whether we decide to test them ourselves, lure other Masters and Servants to test them, or even launch a direct attack, the choice will be ours."
"And if it turns out that you're right, and the luxury jet is just a facade, then what?"
"That would be a bit trickier. Mr. Atrum only decided to participate in the Holy Grail War recently, and since he's an oil tycoon, his hiding place is unlikely to be in an ordinary residential area or a small hotel. In that case, we could investigate recent hotel check-ins or large real estate transactions under the guise of the police—that should help us pinpoint the target."
"Not bad. It seems you've thought this through."
Shinji was very pleased with Sakura's performance. Even if he had handled it himself, he might not have done it better.
"Leave everything related to Atrum to you. As long as it doesn't interfere with their respective duties, everyone at ho, including , will follow your lead. Go ahead and do what you need to."
"Yes, brother," Sakura responded with an unusually bright tone.
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