"I'm so bored."
Inside the Matou family's workshop, Shinji Matou sat on the sofa, legs crossed, idly staring at the massive crystal wall in front of him.
Yes, it was a crystal wall, not glass.
Artificially manufactured glass wasn't suitable as a dium for magic, but crystals, on the other hand, were perfect. In many legends and myths, crystals were described as possessing magical powers, naturally imbued with a high affinity for mysticism. Even in modern tis, many magi still used crystals as diums for casting or amplifying magecraft.
Of course, it was rare to see sothing as extravagant as the Matou family's enormous crystal wall. The cost wasn't the main issue—if you didn't asure it by the standards of art or luxury, crystal wasn't particularly expensive. The main reason was that such a large amount of crystal was unnecessary.
Generally, a crystal the size of a person's head was enough to et most magical needs. Even if a special ritual required a large quantity of crystal, it could be refined into a smaller form. There was no need to create an entire wall.
The Matou family's approach was unique. The crystal wall functioned similarly to the crystal balls many magi loved to use—as a dium for Clairvoyance magecraft. However, the Matou family needed to observe many locations. Using traditional crystal balls would have required a large number of them, making observation inconvenient. So, Shinji suggested mimicking the large screens used in television studios, which led to the creation of this crystal wall.
Originally, the crystal wall was only used to monitor the area around the Matou household. After dea joined them, the level and scale of the Clairvoyance spell increased dramatically. Combined with the police departnt's security caras, they could now observe every street and alley in the entire city. What Shinji was doing now was monitoring Fuyuki City in real-ti.
This task was originally assigned to Kirie and Fujino, but after the incident involving Artoria's confession last night, the girls were in a bad mood.
"Boohoo, he already has !"
"I was first! I was the one who ca first! Why did it turn out like this?"
"Hmph, you heartless playboy!"
These typical complaints were just the start. There were plenty of new grievances as well.
"You even made a move on a Servant?"
"dusa, dea, you better be careful. Who knows when he'll make a move on you."
"Especially you, dusa. I've sensed for a while that he has his eye on you. You should keep your distance."
After venting their frustrations, the girls united in punishing Shinji. Their form of punishnt? A strike. "We've been working hard while you were out flirting? Unbelievable. Now we're taking a break, and you're going to work. Hmph!"
To their credit, the Matou girls were still considerate. Even when they were angry, they didn't let things spiral out of control or affect their plans. They knew when to draw the line.
With the girls making such concessions, what could Shinji do? Was he going to push back and risk a full-on ltdown, turning the house into chaos?
So, Shinji obediently followed their instructions and sat in front of the crystal wall. anwhile, the girls went out shopping, using a spree of retail therapy to vent their frustrations.
By now, a whole night had passed, and daylight filled the room. It was the usual safe period of the Holy Grail War, a ti when both Masters and Servants typically rested, and no major activities took place.
Shinji had been staring at the divided screen of the crystal wall for an hour without finding any useful clues. His eyelids were starting to droop, and he was nodding off.
"Now you understand how hard they work, don't you, you hopeless flirt."
The air twisted and warped, and a figure in a flowing black robe descended gracefully.
"It's you, dea. Didn't you go out shopping with the others?"
Shinji leaned back into his chair, his head tilted upward.
Not only had the girls gone out, but so of the female Servants had also accompanied them. This was to ensure both their safety and to let the Servants enjoy modern life—while also ensuring that Shinji wouldn't spend his ti at ho flirting with anyone else, especially after making a move on Artoria.
"I don't like noisy places, so I ca back early."
dea's answer was entirely expected. For soone who often hid her face under a hood, it would be strange if she enjoyed lively places. She wasn't so young and naive version of herself, like the lily version of Caster.
"With Queen Scathach guarding them, my presence doesn't make a difference."
There were very few who could surpass dea in magecraft, and Scathach was one of them. From the mont she learned that the Matou family's workshop had been designed by Scathach, dea had beco a fan. In just one night, she had already asked Scathach several questions, all of which had been answered. The two were getting along quite well.
"I see. Well, it's almost noon. Do you want sothing to eat? I can make sothing if you cover for while I'm gone."
Shinji pushed himself up from his seat, eager to escape the tedious monitoring task. Cooking in the kitchen sounded far more appealing.
However, before he could stand fully, a heavy pressure pressed down on his shoulders, forcing him back into his seat. Accompanied by dea's cold snort, she warned, "Don't even think about slacking off."
"Co on, I still need to eat, don't I?"
Shinji protested, rubbing his shoulder in mock pain.
"Your lunch is this."
dea extended her hand, which had been hidden inside her robe, revealing a plastic bag. Through the gap in the handle, Shinji could see a soda and so bread.
"You've got to be kidding ."
Shinji's protest turned into a groan of despair, but dea remained unmoved.
"Consider yourself lucky. If I were the one involved, well... heh heh..."
The sinister chuckle sent chills down Shinji's spine. dea had a reputation for being ruthless towards her romantic rivals, so compared to that, being forced to work and eat bread seed quite rciful. In this light, Sakura, Fujino, and Kirie did seem like angels.
This thought didn't escape dea's sharp eyes either.
"Now you understand how good Sakura and the others are? Why didn't you think of that while you were out flirting? I don't get it. Sakura-chan, Miss Fujino, and Miss Kirie are all such wonderful girls. Why are they all so into you?"
"..."
Shinji fell silent. After a while, he let out a long sigh.
"Maybe it's because I t them early on when they were young, and I sohow found my way into their hearts."
In truth, Shinji understood many things deep down. He just didn't know how to handle it. His greed and unwillingness to let go kept him pretending to be oblivious.
"You are a scumbag," dea concluded.
"Are all n like this? Always chasing the new and abandoning the old."
"I'll admit I'm a scumbag, but you're wrong about abandoning the old. I do chase after the new—that's human nature. But I never abandon the old. Once they beco family, I'll take responsibility no matter what choices they make."
"I see... In that case, you're not a complete scumbag. You're still better than... a certain soone."
dea's tone softened slightly, and a hint of sadness appeared on the part of her face that wasn't hidden by her hood.
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