Part 177: Rin strikes back!

Music: Madder Red Town



"…Who could it be?"
Well, it's not anyone hostile since my father's boundary field isn't ringing, so I bet it's someone from Fuji-Nee's place.

Music: Stop



""


""
We stare at each other silently.
…Well, I'm just dumbfounded, but Tohsaka looks angry.

"T-Tohsakawhy are you here?"
I ask a natural question with my mind blank.


"You skipped our regular contact."
Tohsaka answers simply.

"I skipped our regular contact? Well, I did forget to go see you… But did we ever agree on such a thing?"


""

Tohsaka glares at me silently.
…This is bad.
I don't know why she's mad, but I feel like I've done something really bad.

"…Sorry. I apologize for forgetting about it. It was a natural duty as your ally to contact you on a regular basis."
Being pressured, I apologize.
That must satisfy her.


"Yeah. Our situation hasn't changed, so it's natural for us to check up on each other."
Tohsaka seems to have calmed down.

Music: Gentle Everyday



"I understand. I'll contact you, so you can go home now. I'm sorry you came all the way here."






…Hey.
Why make a face like that?

"…Tohsaka? I got your message, so aren't we going to meet up at the park under the bridge?"
I get a bad feeling, so I ask timidly.
…That must have been the last straw.
As Tohsaka is good at reading what I fear the most…



You wouldn't turn away a friend who came to see you, would you?"
She smiles like a devil and says a devilish thing.

"Whahave a meeting here… Are you going to come into my house…!?"


"What? You came into my house as well. And it's not like this'll be my first time, so there's nothing you have to hide from me."

"Oh."


That's right.
It was Tohsaka that treated my wound on that night I first met Saber.

But then, I was just confused about this Master thing, and the fact that Tohsaka was at my house didn't register.
Even if we're cooperating, Tohsaka is Tohsaka. She's the school idol and a girl of my age. It's an outrageous situation for her to come into my house… Wait, why is she coming in!!!?


"Well, I'm coming in. We're going to be talking, so we can do it in the living room, right?"
"H-H-H-H-H-H-Hold on, you idiot! It'll be terrible if you come into my house!"


"It's fine, it's fine. Oh, and I haven't eaten lunch yet, so I'll be counting on you."
The intruder, Tohsaka Rin, comes into the house.



Their sex scene is going to be really awkward, isn't it?



The topic, of course, is Caster.
We talk for about four hours on how to beat her at the Ryudou Temple, but the results are not good.


"…Geez. I guess the only thing we can do is to beat them straight on. If what Saber's saying is true, Servants can only go in from the front entrance."


"Yes. There is a strong boundary field against spirits on that mountain. My only option would be to enter from the front gate. …Since Archer has independent action as his class ability, I am sure he can manage to get in there by force."

"And after he manages to get in there with all his might, Caster will be waiting for him, right? That's not good at all."

Archer can "get in there by force" and "get in there with all his might."


"…You're right. He can't be the target when he's the one who should be shooting the target. Well, I'm sure Saber and Archer would be able to beat Assassin together, but cornering Caster after getting into the temple would be another problem.
From what I hear from Emiya-kun, there's a big pool of magical energy there. If we corner her badly, she might take us out along with the whole Ryudou Temple."



"Certainly. Caster does not seem like someone who will graciously accept death. If she is going to die, she will try to take us down with her. It does not need to be mentioned that the Ryudou Temple will be destroyed as well in that case."

"Don't say scary things, Saber.
Are you saying Caster will self-destruct if we corner her?"


"I bet you she would."
"She probably will."

"……"
They're in perfect unison.
Come to think of it, Saber and Tohsaka have the same opinions, and it seems like they approve of each other in combat.
Both of them are saying not to attack there, so challenging the Ryudou Temple must be really hard.



The clock's sound echoes through the living room.
It's six o'clock and the sky is tinted red.

"Well, I guess the meeting's over.
I have to start preparing dinner."
I get up.
I'll be making codfish pot tonight, so it won't take that long for me to cook it.
All I need to do is to cook the rice and make something that'll go with the pot



Why is she making herself at home when we're about to make dinner?

"And you're sitting so far away from me. I don't know if that's your usual spot, but it's inconvenient unless you come closer while we're talking. Why are you sitting way over there?"

Tohsaka, who is sitting magnificently at the table, stares at me, who is sitting at the very corner.
…There's only one reason why I'm distancing myself from Tohsaka.

"Shut up, my usual place is right where you're sitting! It's like this because you stole that spot!"
I complain with all my might.





"I-Is that bad, you idiot!? This is normal since I'm a guy…!"


It's strange not to be nervous when it's a girl of my age, and Tohsaka at that.

I've been having the meeting normally, frantically telling myself that we're both Masters.
It's pitiful, but I was nervous throughout the meeting, and I don't know how many cups of tea I had.


"But isn't that strange? Saber's a girl too, and from what I hear, Sakura and Fujimura-Sensei come here as well, right? Then I should be no different."

"……"
It's not!


Saber and Tohsaka are different, Fuji-Nee and Tohsaka are different, and Sakura and Tohsaka are different.
First of all, I can handle being with Saber because she's someone to fight alongside with.

"…Heh, just go home. We're having dinner now. Archer's waiting for you at your place too, right?"


"Oh. I can't go home when we haven't decided anything yet.
Aren't we going to talk about our future plans after we eat dinner?"

Music: Stop



Music: Gentle Everyday

"Guh… Is that already determined, Tohsaka?"
"Am I wrong? I don't care if you don't want to. So you're fine with letting Caster do whatever she wants for a while, huh?"
"Gah"
I swallow my words.



To make things worse, Saber is on Tohsaka's side.

"All right. But I won't be held responsible if you don't like the food here. And Fuji-NeeFujimura-Sensei will be coming, so you can convince her."


"I know, I know. I already know how good you are from the lunch you made, and I also know about Fujimura-Sensei. I'm aware of it, so don't worry about it."

"Heh, I won't be held responsible even if you regret it later on."
I look away from her and head to the kitchen.

Then.
I wash my hands, go to put on my apron, and notice that it's not there.
…No.
First of all, I don't even remember taking it off after preparing lunch in front of Tohsaka.

"Huh?"
I look around.



"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I just don't know about a guy walking around in an apron, Emiya-kun."
…Speaks with an expression of triumph.

Rin's got it all figured out.