"I'm March 7th! I'm... I'm a staff member maintaining 'Order' at the 'filming location'!"
Thinking quickly, March 7th used Long Night Moon's explanation while trying to make her smile look more convincing. "Little one, do you live here? You really can't stay here right now. Go home quickly, or go to another safe place."
"I want to go home!"
Rin said stubbornly, her eyes filled with unquestionable determination. "I have something very important to do, I must go home!"
"No, no, no!"
March 7th waved her hands repeatedly, blocking the entrance to the alley like a mother hen protecting her chicks. "It's really not okay right now! The 'Director'... uh, said that no one can pass through! It's very dangerous, there might be... there might be invisible explosions!"
She tried to scare the child with the most blunt words possible.
Tohsaka Rin looked at March 7th's face—which, despite her efforts to be serious, still radiated a somewhat dim-witted but honest aura—and her wariness lowered slightly.
This pink-haired older girl didn't look like a bad person; she looked like the type who would be fooled by a simple magic trick.
"I really must go back."
Rin softened her tone, trying to be reasonable and even adding a hint of a little girl's pleading. "My sister... my sister might need my help. I just need to go in for a little bit, get something, and then I'll leave. I won't disturb your 'filming,' I promise!"
"Sister?"
March 7th froze for a moment, her heart softening.
She was also someone who valued her companions and could understand that feeling.
But Long Night Moon's warning immediately echoed in her mind—"Ensure no 'Audience' wanders in."
Once this little girl went in and saw the "special effects" of Herta fighting that Golden Flashy inside the illusionary realm, she would definitely be terrified. Worse, she might disrupt the illusionary realm her sister was maintaining.
"N-No!"
March 7th hardened her heart, but her tone involuntarily weakened, sounding almost like she was coaxing a child. "Be good, big sister will take you away from here to a safe place to wait for your family, okay? Or... or I can help you find your sister?" she began to think whimsically.
Tohsaka Rin frowned, feeling that she couldn't get through to this seemingly scatterbrained girl.
Her eyes sharpened, and she suddenly took a deep breath, her chest puffing out—
"Hel—"
Before the word "Help!" could be shouted, the prepared March 7th was quick to react, covering her mouth once again.
"Wow! How can you break your word like that!"
March 7th got a little angry, her cheeks puffing out.
In her desperation, she remembered how Himeko would sometimes put on a stern face when she was being disobedient.
She tried her best to mimic what she thought was her most "vicious" expression, leaning in close to Rin and "threatening" her in a low voice: "If you don't behave, I-I'll turn you into an Ice Sculpture! I'm telling you, I'm very powerful!"
However, March 7th was born with a sweet face that lacked any intimidation. Instead of scaring anyone, this feigned ferocity, combined with her fluffy pink hair and cheeks slightly flushed from anxiety, actually looked... a bit comical.
Tohsaka Rin looked at this "mean" face so close to her own, and for some reason, a string in her tense nerves suddenly snapped.
She thought of her solo adventure, her sister who might be in danger, the mysterious Servant at her doorstep, and then she saw this enemy personnel who seemed even more panicked than she was... the pressure of the past few days intertwined.
"Ugh..."
Crystal tears gathered in her blue eyes without warning, then large droplets began to roll down.
She didn't cry out loud; she just bit her lip and let out a heavily suppressed, animal-like whimper, her shoulders trembling slightly, looking aggrieved and pitiful.
"Eh?! Wait! D-Don't cry!"
March 7th panicked instantly. The "viciousness" she had just forced out vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by complete helplessness.
She let go, circling the quietly sobbing Rin like a large cat that had done something wrong.
"I-I didn't mean to scare you! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm really not a bad person! Look, I'm not even holding a weapon!" She even spread her hands to show her innocence.
"I just... want to save my sister..."
Rin said between sobs, her tears falling even harder.
This wasn't entirely acting; a large part of it was genuine anxiety and a sense of powerlessness.
"I know, I know!"
March 7th's heart completely melted. She knelt down, flustered as she tried to help Rin wipe her tears while fearing it might be too forward. "Your sister will definitely be fine! I... I promise! How about this: you come with me to a safe place first, and when my sister... uh, when the 'Director' is finished, I'll have her help you find your sister! She's su—per amazing! She knows everything!"
She comforted her clumsily, the sincerity in her voice obvious.
Tohsaka Rin's crying gradually subsided as she observed March 7th through teary eyes.
This pink-haired girl, though acting strangely and blocking her path, really seemed to have no ill intent. She even seemed a bit... foolishly simple.
(Maybe... I can trust her for now?)
Rin was quickly weighing things in her mind, thinking about how to use the current situation to get information or escape.
Just then, March 7th's body stiffened slightly, and her eyes lost focus for a moment—she had received a mental message from Long Night Moon via a hidden link, brief and to the point:
[illusionary realm wrapping up. This place isn't safe to stay. Prepare to evacuate.]
March 7th looked at Tohsaka Rin with a complicated expression. Rin had just stopped crying, and her small face was still stained with tears.
Take her along?
It seemed like the best option to prevent the child from wandering off and encountering real danger.
But how to take her?
Rin keenly sensed the change in March 7th's expression, her vigilance rising again. "What's wrong?"
"Um... little one,"
March 7th gave as gentle a smile as possible. "How about big sister takes you to a place that's more fun and safe to wait? There are soft beds there, and..."
Alarm bells rang in Tohsaka Rin's mind, and she immediately shook her head. "No, I want to go home!" She turned, wanting to run out of the alley.
"Sorry!"
March 7th sighed, knowing she couldn't handle such a complex "child communication problem."
She remembered how, on the Astral Express, Pom-Pom would sometimes use a harmless Sedative Spray to let overexcited tourists nap for a while.
With speed far beyond human reach, she lightly pressed a certain spot on the back of Rin's neck.
The force was precise.
Tohsaka Rin only felt a numbness at the back of her neck. Before she could be surprised or resist, her consciousness rapidly sank into darkness, and her small body slumped forward.
March 7th quickly caught her, carefully holding the little girl in her arms.
"Sorry, little girl," she whispered, her voice full of apology. "When this is over, I'll definitely apologize properly and send you home to find your sister."
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