"An unfamiliar ceiling."
Miyu's eyes fell upon a ceiling that was neither the familiar one of the Emiya Residence nor the one from her cage in the Ainsworth Household. She knew this immediately because the room's decor was excessively pink, unlike either of those styles. She rubbed her still throbbing head, recalling the last image she had before losing consciousness: Shirou-nii, utterly exhausted from protecting her...
"That's right! Nii-san!"
Miyu immediately threw back the covers and, without even putting on shoes, dashed out barefoot.
Meanwhile, Jiang You was seated at the coffee table, recounting the story of Miyu's world to everyone.
"In simple terms, Miyu is like our world's Illya, possessing a similar function to the Holy Grail. The villains in her world want to use her to destroy their world and then rebuild it according to their own desires."
Jiang You paused, feeling a strange familiarity with the Ainsworth's scheme. Where have I seen the Ainsworth's methods before...?
Jiang You quickly realized why this felt so familiar: Chaldea was about to face Goetia. Their mental circuits were practically identical! Could Darius actually be an alternate version of Goetia?
"Does that world not have me or the Einzbern family?" Illya, having finished her homework, joined the storytelling session. She glared maliciously at Shirou Emiya, who was also a protagonist in another world. "Even without the Einzbern family, that guy would still end up adopted by Kiritsugu, making me feel like I was the one who got picked up off the street. And why is he in every single world?!"
"Maybe because he's the underlying logic of the Type-Moon World?" Jiang You quipped.
Shirou was indeed one of the cornerstones of the Type-Moon World, his popularity so immense that you could find countless fanfiction featuring him as the protagonist (or even just wearing his skin). Basically, any Type-Moon work would drag him out to cash in on his popularity.
"Please stop teasing me," Shirou muttered, completely oblivious to his own significance. In this world, his role had been largely usurped by the player.
"So the underlying logic of this world is a male high school student?" Rin Tohsaka protested, utterly unconvinced.
"That was before."
The crown prince of Type-Moon had long since been replaced. "Now it's an ordinary high school student of indeterminate gender with maxed-out poison resistance. Hmm, still a high school student, I guess."
Jiang You's nonsense didn't continue. Miyu, having woken up, quickly followed the voices to the living room. Peering cautiously through the crack in the door, she spotted a familiar orange-haired boy, triggering an immediate reaction.
"Brother!"
Miyu burst through the living room door, her fatigue seemingly vanishing instantly. She threw herself into Shirou Emiya's arms.
Shirou instinctively tried to dodge. Although he knew this Miyu was his sister from another world, she was still a stranger to him. Accepting her embrace so readily felt like he was taking advantage of a young girl's emotions. Unfortunately, with so many people and servants crowded in the room, he couldn't avoid the sudden onslaught and was knocked flat by her full-body tackle.
Ignoring the stares of those around her, Miyu began tearing at Shirou's clothes. Shirou, his face strained, struggled desperately against her, but Miyu ripped his T-shirt, revealing a horrifying scar over his heart.
"Brother! I... I'm so glad you survived!"
Miyu traced the scar with trembling fingers, nearly bursting into tears. Medea's crude healing methods, relying on brute-force magical power, had left the wound terribly disfigured, making it almost unbearable to look at.
"You've got the wrong idea! It's not what you think!"
This remnant was left behind when Shirou Emiya willingly became the Holy Grail's vessel. His heart still belonged to some Oil King being used as a magical power battery, granting him an exceptionally abundant supply of magical power. If he trained more in combat, he might even surpass his naturally developed self in strength.
"No, don't look at me like that! You know what's going on! Jiang You, hurry up and explain to her!"
"Explain?"
Jiang You suddenly wondered if this scene could be considered the Shirou Emiya of this world stealing something that belonged to the Shirou Emiya from Miyu's world—his sister. Maybe I should play with this a bit.
"Indeed, an explanation is necessary. Miyu, don't you find this strange?"
"Yes, yes!"
Shirou Emiya nodded repeatedly in agreement, not wanting to be handcuffed and taken to a detention center over this.
"Is this Shirou Emiya truly your brother? Doesn't this scene feel abrupt? You were just fighting moments ago."
Jiang You watched Shirou Emiya nodding eagerly like a parrot, a particularly malicious smile spreading across his face.
"Do you really think your brother, even after losing his Class Card, could have defeated those Ainsworth Household members?"
In truth, it was possible. The Heroic Spirit Emiya had perfectly adapted to Emiya's body, and even after departing, he had left behind a great deal. However, the odds of a Heroic Spirit possessing their original self were virtually zero, a fact Miyu was unaware of.
"Besides, you must know why the Ainsworth Household imprisoned you, right?"
Miyu was unaware of her identity as the Sakatsuki Household's Divine Child, but Julian would undoubtedly reveal it to her. Though the Holy Grail War had ended in a single night, Shirou Emiya's recovery period was part of that timeframe. Miyu had spent a considerable amount of time at the Ainsworth estate. "So, now that you're able to move freely and your brother is unharmed... Well, that's not entirely accurate. He clearly sustained a fatal wound, yet he recovered in an impossibly short time. Is that supposed to be normal?"
For Miyu, this place felt profoundly alien. She and Shirou Emiya had hardly ever been apart; she knew everyone her brother knew. Yet here, she recognized almost no one, while her brother seemed intimately familiar with them all. And for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that this brother of hers was subtly different from the one she remembered.
Pushed back by Shirou Emiya, Miyu instinctively took two steps backward, a sense of fear creeping into her heart.
"There's only one answer—"
Jiang You snapped his fingers. Hassan, ever cooperative, turned off the lights and focused a spotlight on Miyu. "—This isn't your world!"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
Though he found Jiang You's explanation odd, Shirou Emiya continued to agree, recognizing the truth in his words.
"Shirou Emiya! You want to become a Hero of Justice and save the world, right?" Jiang You suddenly turned his question to Shirou.
"Yes!" Shirou replied instinctively, his life's creed guiding his response, though he didn't fully understand.
"!?"
Cold sweat broke out on Miyu's forehead. This was exactly Julian's goal.
"See? This is an illusion Julian constructed for you! Its purpose is to make you lower your guard and willingly fulfill their wishes!" Jiang You pointed at the bewildered Shirou, pulled out a small knife, and pressed it into Miyu's hand.
"Go! Destroy the core of this illusion, destroy the fake Emiya. Wake up quickly and help your brother!"