Chapter 14. Flat is Not an Item for an Item Race
"As one who once led armies, I truly cannot understand how Rin could wait until the arrow was already on the string to bring out the information."
Saber spoke early the next morning.
"Itadakimasu."
She pressed her hands together again, speaking with full etiquette.
A sumptuous breakfast was spread across the table. It had been prepared by borrowing the rentable kitchen of the luxury hotel.
There were at least six dishes and one soup. To match the use of forks and knives, the style leaned intentionally Western, yet divided among five people, it was just the right amount.
Now, the King of Britain, filled with gratitude and hands clasped, was enjoying her royal-grade, high-quality meal.
Mashed potatoes? She didn't know such a thing.
Rin's phone lay quietly on the table, its screen displaying the email. Even though they already knew the contents, no one looked as grim as they had last night.
"So?"
Rin chewed on a piece of bacon.
"Sitting idly by goes against a knight's creed. Moreover, Shirou feels the same way, right?"
Saber paused her eating for a very brief moment, looking toward the kitchen where Shirou was cooking with a smile.
"I will be with everyone; I definitely won't be left behind."
Sakura calmly ate the food prepared with warmth, resting her cheek in her hand as she glanced in a specific direction.
"It really is dangerous. Honestly, I'd rather Sakura go somewhere safe... but since she insists on going, I can only protect her well."
Rider gazed at Sakura... then, in Sakura's presence, she made no further move.
"I'm fine with whatever, as long as I can follow you guys?"
Illya left her opinion very simply.
She didn't care about her extended lifespan—no, rather, it was because her life had been extended that she never wanted to leave the people most important to her.
Thus, there were no dissenting votes.
Rin sighed with extreme helplessness.
"Decided: breaking into the Sixth Holy Grail War (False Holy Grail War)." During breakfast, everyone reached a conclusion as casually as drinking water.
The "Extra Combination" was formed.
The 14th Faction—a mysterious force whose members didn't yet realize how much of a headache they would cause the other parties involved—remained as usual.
At least the daily breakfast was still ordinary.
"By the way, who is this 'Flat' mentioned in the email?" Illya asked airily.
"A genius."
Even Rin acknowledged this: "Though he's a bit of a scatterbrain and loves giving people nicknames, he probably would have been stronger than me if I hadn't received support from others. And... he counts as a good person."
Flat Escardos.
Indeed, it was hard to imagine that he, so utterly lacking in a sense of mystery, would suddenly transform into one of the Masters of a mysterious False Holy Grail War. While it's not as if Emiya's household knows every Master... Rin and Shirou truly did know him.
A familiar face.
Rin explained regarding that person with a complex mood.
After a beat, she smoothed her messy, fluffy hair and muttered in a very low voice: "I don't know why, but the higher my magical proficiency gets, the more I feel he's a bit creepy. Might just be an illusion."
"?"
Before question marks could pop up over the others' heads, Shirou cut in by setting down a plate.
"Intermission. Today is Western-style; I've finished the Caesar salad. Please, help yourselves."
As the saying goes, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But here he was, capturing the stomachs of five women... Shirou didn't know what to say.
"Rin... munch munch... you aren't allowed to do this next time. Munch."
Ending with Saber's muffled mumbling, the topic of Rin withholding information finally concluded.
Half an hour later, Shirou completed the check-out process in the hotel lobby. Walking down the steps of the hotel exit together, the one furthest from Shirou was the woman in red.
With his palm pressed against the side of his neck, Shirou glanced at Rin, who was unexpectedly high-spirited, shouting to everyone in front of her.
"Step one: the Flat Search Squad is formed!"
Lord El-Melloi II's request was accepted after all.
There was no reason to refuse; this email request didn't contradict Shirou and the others' goals. Conveniently, they also needed a companion familiar with the events of the False Holy Grail War.
The False Holy Grail War wasn't a single room, and it wouldn't leave a door open for Shirou and the others to enter. In a city this large, they didn't even know where the Holy Grail was being summoned or where the fighting was; the probability of just happening upon a battle between two factions was too low.
So, finding a key figure was the most efficient method.
Catching Flat was equivalent to finding the trail of the False Holy Grail War. Incidentally, someone would also owe Lord El-Melloi II a favor.
On this day, when the summoning might not even be complete, this was the beginning of their probe into the Holy Grail War. Shirou composed himself and began to adopt a posture ready to meet the challenge.
"Still, catching someone in a large city is quite tricky. We'll split up. It's not limited to catching him; as long as we can gather some intel on the Holy Grail War, anything goes."
Rin called out loudly: "I'll be a solo group. As long as I can sense that guy Flat's magical energy, I can track him directly through magecraft. Please distribute yourselves freely. We'll meet at midnight in front of the other hotel we agreed on—"
"I have a question."
Ignoring her sister's conclusion, Sakura seemed to have an objection.
She looked repeatedly at Rider, who was habitually following by her side, her gaze somewhat reproachful.
"Instead of guarding me, shouldn't you be guarding Senpai?"
Rider hesitated several times, but finally, with a sorrowful expression, spoke the cruel truth:
"Sakura. Shirou is much stronger than you."
"I suppose..."
The air around Sakura turned despondent, and she no longer complained about Rider guarding her. Instead, Rider felt she had spoken too harshly and began to comfort her in a soft voice.
No, if he watched this chaotic scene any longer, the breath he had managed to hold in would be replaced by a feeling of "too painful to look at."
Shirou walked down the steps alone, turning back after a few paces to call out:
"The rules and the plan are all OK, right? Then I'm off. —See you later."
Since they had decided to split up and find him, there was no point in staying in one spot.
If you're going to do it, do it.
Waving goodbye to a thin, lingering emotion like attachment, Shirou faced the wide, calm city in light gear.
Though it no longer had anything to do with being green or naive, this part, at least, had become a habit.
.
.
.
It was an afternoon where the sun had just passed its zenith.
Rather, it was likely the same day the Fifth War team set out.
A cheerful young man with messy blonde hair and a youthful appearance was walking happily down the street.
His aura was harmless to man and beast alike. In fact, he truly was harmless. However, seeing this jaunty appearance, no one could guess his true identity.
Neither his identity as a super-genius magus, nor his identity as a Master.
A pedestrian walking by looked at their phone, passing him. Suddenly, the phone emitted a short notification tone.
"I see, so that is 'email.' It might be quite convenient in this era."
The toy watch buckled onto his wrist emitted a voice that only he could hear, transmitted directly into his mind.
His Mr. Jack—Berserker—remarked on the uniqueness of the era in a steady, gentlemanly male voice.
"However, including technological mediums like phones, I don't seem to have seen you use one."
"Ah, I didn't bring anything like that with me!"
Flat shouted joyfully.
Lord El-Melloi II: Fxxk!