Shinji opened his eyes.
Yes, that's right. He opened his eyes.
This was an awkward moment for sure.
Although, it wasn't awkward right from the start.
At first, Rin was simply overjoyed.
"That's great! You finally woke up. Hold on, don't you dare die!"
"Die?"
The person, whose eyes hadn't quite focused yet, looked confused. "Why would I die? As long as I don't want to die, I won't."
"Yes, yes—you won't die."
Rin replied half-heartedly. Normally, this would have sparked another round of bickering. But now, she felt it wasn't right to take advantage of an injured person. What if she made him so mad he died?
"Then what happened just now? Was I so tired that I started hallucinating?"
"It's not you who's tired. It's me. I fought you, then I fought Cu Chulainn. Even I couldn't hold up any longer, so I took a little nap."
Shinji patted his cheeks, trying to clear his vision.
"But no sooner had I dozed off than I heard someone shouting nearby. Something about not dying, being irresponsible, weddings... and something about a brother and... your legs? Uh, how did that all fit together?"
While Shinji was still puzzled, Rin began recalling the things she had said earlier. Her entire body turned red—from head to toe.
Ahhhh! What did I even say just now?! No matter how worried I was, I shouldn't have said those things. I must've been too tired. That's it, I was just exhausted.
Awkwardness descended—a very awkward moment.
An embarrassed Rin spoke awkward words.
"Uh, you must have misheard. You know, it's common to be half-asleep and mix up dreams with reality."
"Is that so? But I'm pretty sure I—"
"That's exactly it. That's. Exactly. It. Got. It?"
By the end, Rin was nearly spelling it out word by word, and her grip on Shinji's hand tightened.
"Ow, ow, ow. Fine, let's say it was a dream. So, I dreamt about... your legs?"
While speaking, he glanced sideways at Rin's legs and the black stockings beneath them—even though he had been joking before, those were a pair of great legs.
"Gah!"
Hearing Shinji's words and feeling his gaze, the embarrassment and rage Rin had just barely managed to suppress now surged back up.
"No looking! Got it? No looking! If you look again, I'll—I'll—"
"—leave me behind?"
Shinji smiled and asked.
Rin glared at him fiercely.
"Don't even think about it. I said I'd save you, and I will!"
"Why's that? Didn't you say I'm your enemy?"
Hearing this question, Rin froze for a moment, then turned her head away in a sulky manner and explained.
"But you're also Sakura's brother. If you die, she'll be sad. Plus... plus... I don't really…"
Her voice got quieter and quieter, so Shinji had to lean in closer.
"Don't really what?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all!"
Rin quickly shoved Shinji away and stood up, "Alright, you've rested enough. If we delay any longer, the enemy will catch up. Let's go."
"Sorry to interrupt, but we already caught up."
At that moment, a voice came from outside the door. Judging by the tone, it was likely Roa's voice—though that was only a guess.
"But seeing how hard you're fighting, I thought I'd give you a bit more time to say your goodbyes."
"Why aren't you waiting now?"
Shinji asked with a strange expression, one hand on his chin and the other clenched tight.
The voice outside responded, "Because I realized something. You're all going to die here anyway, so no goodbyes are needed."
"Hmph, we'll see who's dying!"
Rin snorted, drawing mana into her jewel sword and slashing toward the doorway.
"Unfortunately, you won't hit me like that."
"If once isn't enough, I'll try twice. If twice isn't enough, I'll try three times. Eventually, I'll hit you."
"That's true, but how long can that Mystic Code in your hand hold up? Magic might be limitless, but that doesn't mean Mystic Codes are."
The heavy voice was filled with amusement, while Rin stood in silence.
This was the other flaw of the Jewel Sword, a common trait of all Mystic Codes. Reality wasn't a game. Not every piece of equipment was like Excalibur, which had the trait of never losing durability or breaking. Even the Excalibur had a time when it could break, let alone a Mystic Code made of gemstones.
Such continuous high-intensity use had already caused noticeable cracks on its once pristine surface. If she kept using it at this rate, it wouldn't be long before the sword reached the end of its lifespan.
This moment of hesitation only confirmed Roa's suspicions.
"No answer? Looks like it won't last much longer."
"So what?"
Rin retorted defiantly.
"Before that happens, I'll kill you!"
"Don't worry, I won't give you that chance. As long as your Mystic Code isn't broken, we won't show ourselves—in the meantime, why don't you play with Fabro's beasts?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a strange beastly roar echoed from outside the cave. Roa, having suffered a setback before, intended to exhaust Rin and Shinji slowly.
Rin quickly cast a detection spell, but it returned no results. It seemed the enemy had prepared thoroughly. They wouldn't show themselves until the final moment.
With no other choice, Rin activated the Jewel Sword again. Though she hadn't yet figured out a plan, as the daughter of the Tohsaka family, she would never give up so easily. She would fight until the very end.
As she approached the cave entrance, preparing to defend it, Shinji grabbed her arm.
"Regretting it now? Not listening to me?"
"What do you mean? Leaving you behind? Of course, I regret it. I don't want to die. But if I had to choose again, I'd probably do the same. Seriously, sometimes I don't even understand why I do what I do."
"Rin..."
Shinji finally softened, leaning in close to her ear and whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Don't worry. I won't die, and neither will you."
"You have a plan?"
"Heh, of course, I—huh?"
Just as he started speaking, Shinji suddenly covered his nose, feeling a sharp, burning pain in his airways.
Rin was in a similar state. Looking up, they saw a thick white mist, blurring their vision.
"This… is magical fog?"
It wasn't just their airways; their magic circuits were also burning.
"This is your plan?"
"No, I didn't prepare this."
Shinji shook his head.
"But this fog—it feels familiar. Like I've seen it before?"
Before he could think further, a small figure emerged from the fog, standing before him. A childish, innocent voice spoke.
"This way."