The atmosphere in the living room was a stark contrast to the tension at the Tohsaka Residence; it even held a hint of... bizarre normalcy.
Ms. Herta sat on the most spacious sofa with her legs crossed, her violet-black eyes sizing up the group before her with great interest.
She had already changed out of her conspicuous outfit and was wearing a comfortable, deep purple velvet house robe. Her long brown hair was draped somewhat casually over her shoulders. One hand supported her chin, while the fingers of the other rhythmically tapped her knee unconsciously.
Stelle sat cross-legged on the soft carpet not far away, a bowl of freshly made cup noodles emitting an enticing aroma in front of her.
She was focused intently on twirling the golden noodles with the included small plastic fork, then with a loud "slurp," she smoothly sent them into her mouth. She ate with singular devotion, as if all the discussions around her were not nearly as important as the steaming bowl of instant noodles in front of her.
Long Night Moon sat in a single armchair opposite Ms. Herta, her posture relaxed and elegant. Her black umbrella, which never left her side, leaned gently against the chair.
A gentle yet inscrutable smile played on her face. Her crimson eyes calmly met Ms. Herta's inquisitive gaze, as if the battle outside the Tohsaka house—one capable of destroying half the city—had absolutely nothing to do with her.
March 7th stood somewhat awkwardly slightly behind Long Night Moon's side, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
Her pink ponytail swayed gently with her restless movements.
Her gaze would occasionally steal a glance at Stelle, who was "slurping" her noodles (this "Stelle" is so weird!), then quickly dart back to that Ms. Herta.
In the inner room of the suite, Sakura Matou sat quietly on a low stool by the bed, her small hands placed properly on her knees and her eyes cast downward.
Meanwhile, Tohsaka Rin lay on the bed, covered by a soft quilt, her breathing steady.
Ms. Herta's gaze swept back and forth between Long Night Moon and March 7th, finally settling on Long Night Moon as she took the lead in breaking the delicate silence.
"So,"
Ms. Herta began, her voice carrying her usual nonchalant tone, "you are that Long Night Moon. And this one..."
She tilted her chin slightly toward March 7th, "is that pink-haired girl from the Astral Express, March 7th. Now she's become your Servant, Berserker?"
"Precisely."
Long Night Moon nodded slightly, her tone composed as the smile on her lips deepened a fraction. "It is an honor to formally meet you here, Ms. Herta. Although the manner of our meeting and our respective states are indeed somewhat... unexpected."
As for why Rin was here, one would need to rewind time a bit.
The street outside the Tohsaka Residence was shrouded in an eerie silence.
Long Night Moon's crimson eyes lit up slightly, like rubies soaked in the night.
Silently, they covered the area centered around the Tohsaka home.
A massive illusion based on reality, like an exquisite bubble, temporarily separated the interior from the exterior.
Inside the illusion, Ms. Herta could test the strength of the local Heroic Spirits without reservation, and Gilgamesh could vent his rage to his heart's content. Outside the illusion, the residents of Fuyuki City would only feel that the streets tonight were exceptionally quiet, with even the chirping of insects becoming scarce.
"This way, we won't be interfering with the mundane world."
Long Night Moon held her black umbrella and explained softly to March 7th beside her, "After all, how can things that happen within a story be considered as destroying reality?"
"Oh oh! Like a movie?"
March 7th realized with a start, her eyes sparkling.
"You could understand it that way."
The corners of Long Night Moon's mouth curled upward.
Maintaining an illusion of such scale required her to concentrate, which meant her main body's movements would be considerably restricted while the illusion lasted—much like a director immersed in scriptwriting, finding it difficult to distract themselves with playing other roles.
This created a small problem: the illusion itself was not an invisible barrier. If an unrelated ordinary person or a low-level magus happened to pass by and stumble into this area shrouded in phantasms, it would be like a drop of water falling into hot oil, potentially triggering unpredictable disturbances or even causing the illusion to collapse.
"Little March," Long Night Moon instructed softly, "I need you to temporarily serve as the floor manager."
"Floor manager?" March 7th tilted her head.
"It means patrolling around the 'set' to ensure no 'audience members' wander in by mistake."
Long Night Moon spoke in a way she could understand, "Pay special attention to not letting anyone get close to me or those two over there. Our current state is like a frozen movie poster of the protagonists; it would be bad if we were touched."
"Mission guaranteed!"
March 7th immediately puffed out her chest, feeling as though she had been entrusted with a major mission.
She carefully left her hiding spot and, like a nimble cat, began moving through the intricate alleys and shadows nearby, her pink figure flickering in and out of sight in the night.
While March 7th was conscientiously performing her clearing duty, her keen senses captured another faint movement—not from the earth-shattering collision inside the illusion, but from an alleyway piled with discarded wooden crates not far away.
A petite figure was hiding at the mouth of the alley, cautiously poking out half a head. Her black twin-tails swayed gently in the night breeze.
It was a little girl who looked only six or seven years old, wearing an exquisite but practical dark dress. Her large blue eyes were fixed intently on the frozen Ms. Herta and Stelle at the entrance of the Tohsaka Residence, her small face full of confusion.
It was none other than Tohsaka Rin, who had secretly slipped out of her house.
Her plan tonight could be called bold: return home to retrieve some stored magical gems as weapons, then go to the Matou Family to find her sister Sakura, who she felt was becoming more and more unusual, and take her away.
This plan was full of childhood bravery and recklessness.
However, when she approached her own residence, what she saw were two strange figures blocking the entrance, one of whom was even wearing exaggerated witch's attire, standing motionless.
(Are they... Servants? Or something else? Has the Holy Grail War already spread to my house? Does Father know?)
(Why aren't they moving? Is it a trap? Or some kind of barrier?)
A child's curiosity and the urgency to save her sister warred in Rin's heart.
Ultimately, worry overrode caution.
She bit her lower lip and decided to move a bit closer to observe; at the very least, she had to figure out what exactly was happening at her front door before deciding on her next move.
Just as she held her breath and attempted to move from the shadows to another closer piece of cover—
"Mmph?!"
A pair of warm hands suddenly reached out from behind. One hand quickly covered her mouth, while the other wrapped around her waist, easily lifting her off the ground and dragging her back into the depths of the alley.
"Shh—! Don't make a sound, little one!"
A lowered female voice whispered in her ear, "It's very dangerous here, you can't just wander close!"
Tohsaka Rin was startled and struggled vigorously, her short legs kicking in the air.
She turned her head and met a pair of pink-blue eyes that were close at hand, looking like a clear spring sky.
The person who had caught her was a beautiful older sister with pink hair. Her gaze looked anxious, but there was no malice.
(This sister... looks a bit familiar?)
The image of the big sister with the black umbrella she had met and chatted with in the park during the day flashed through Rin's mind. The two seemed to have a subtle connection in temperament, but their hair color and attire were completely different.
The current sense of crisis prevented her from thinking too deeply.
March 7th didn't let go until she had carried Rin behind a pile of wooden crates, but she remained highly alert.
"Alright, I'm letting go, but you really can't shout! In there..."
She pointed toward the Tohsaka house and whispered mysteriously, "They're filming a very dangerous movie in there. It would be bad to disturb the actors!"
As soon as Tohsaka Rin regained her freedom, she immediately took two steps back and assumed a defensive posture, her small face full of wariness: "Who—who are you? Why are you near my house? Also, what is 'filming a movie'? Those two people are clearly..."
She stopped abruptly, realizing she had almost let slip about the Holy Grail War and Servants.
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