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The Matou Residence.
Thanks to the Holy Grail War, Minato had temporarily moved in here.
It was only for a few days anyway—no big deal.
In the dining room:
"Big Sis Medusa, your food is sooo good!"
Sakura Matou's cheeks were puffed out with food as she mumbled happily.
"Yeah, it's amazing," Minato added. "Honestly, better than a lot of hotel chefs."
"You're both too kind."
Medusa sat formally on the floor, calmly responding.
"…Her personality really doesn't match her appearance," Minato thought.
Compared to other arrogant, wild Servants, Medusa was surprisingly easy to talk to.
And that low-key attitude of hers…
"Hey, Medusa."
"Hmm?"
"You ever heard of a lap pillow?"
"Eh?!"
Her pretty face turned pink again. "Y-You might've confessed to me, but I haven't said yes yet. Doing something like that is… too much…"
As a Heroic Spirit, her head was full of modern knowledge.
But Minato didn't wait for her answer—he just laid down right on her lap.
Instantly!
Softness wrapped around the back of his head. Medusa's voice turned slightly annoyed. "What do you think you're doing?"
"You didn't say no."
"I just haven't made up my mind yet!"
"Which means, deep down, you're okay with it."
"You… you're just twisting my words!"
Even while complaining, Medusa gently brushed his hair aside and gazed into his deep wine-red eyes.
"…Sakura watched silently."
So… if I do that, the demon uncle will like me?
She blinked, then quietly sat down and patted her little legs. "Demon uncle, you can use my lap too!"
"Nope. You're still too young."
Medusa rejected it immediately and even scooted forward a bit to protect Minato's head.
This girl is way too small and cute.Absolutely not.
"Ehh?!"
Sakura looked confused.
Why did Medusa suddenly feel so scary?
Meanwhile...
Feeling the soft warmth under his head, Minato took a deep breath.
He thought to himself, Sakura, you just earned a gold star.
Medusa keeps everything bottled up—you gotta give her a little push.
Hmm… maybe I should introduce her to the rest of the harem sometime.
A while later...
Minato finally stood up and stretched, heading toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Medusa quickly followed and asked instinctively.
"You didn't notice?" Minato grinned. "Someone just issued a challenge."
"If you're gonna join the Holy Grail War, you can't just ignore stuff like that."
"…Oh?" Medusa paused, sensing something herself, then smiled slightly. "In that case, I'll fight at your side, Master."
"As you should."
"Ha! Finally! Took forever for a Servant to show up."
Inside a massive storage yard filled with containers, a man holding a spear stepped out calmly.
Facing him was a woman clad in armor, with dazzling blonde hair and a single strand poking out on top of her head.
Their eyes locked, sparks practically flying between them.
"Sharp fighting aura. Judging by your outfit, I'm guessing you're Saber."
"You've got a spear, so you must be Lancer for this war."
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne.Artoria Pendragon.
Two legends of history, meeting face to face.
No words needed—their overwhelming auras said it all.
Boom! Boom!
The ground shook as both fighters shot forward like cannonballs—A collision between two titans had begun.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash—
Two figures slammed into each other like comets colliding.
Sparks flew as sword clashed against spear, the impact ringing out in deafening bursts.
In just a moment—
The battlefield was engulfed in surging energy, and the earth beneath them cracked and split apart.
At that moment—
Behind a shipping container in the distance, Kiritsugu Emiya and Maiya Hisau lay hidden.
This was the best possible sniper position.
Kiritsugu had prepared a special rifle for this Holy Grail War—he could snipe instantly if needed.
"Kiritsugu, are you sure it's okay to let Saber act on her own like this?"
Maiya was watching the battlefield through binoculars. "There's no sign of any other Servants besides those two."
"There's no helping it. She wants to fight," Kiritsugu replied indifferently. "Using a Command Seal now would be a waste. Besides, we're just not compatible."
His original plan was to have someone pretend to be Saber's Master in his place.
But unfortunately, there wasn't anyone suitable.
As a mage killer, he worked alone. No mage would be crazy enough to help with something this dangerous.
"Wait, someone else is showing up."
Maiya's voice came again. "Two people. One of them is probably a Master."
"So, they've finally shown themselves."
A glint of cold light flashed in Kiritsugu's eyes. He placed his hand on the trigger. "Now then… which one's the Master?"
"....."