Part 367: Confrontation with Rider / Rider's question

Music: Midnight Interval



"……So. Why am I here?"
I think about why I'm here in the shed.
Sakura's warning.
Sakura warned us to run, and Tohsaka said she'd fight.
Thenthat's right, we have to go beneath the Ryudou Temple.

"So… Why am I lying in the shed when we have to go to the Ryudou Temple?"
I'm on the ground.
I realize that I'm inside the shed.
My right hand is hurting.
Thanks to that, my consciousness is back.

"Damn. Pull yourself together, idiot."
I get up and check how my limbs are doing.
…Don't lose spirit.
I'm certainly losing something at hopeless speed.
But it's not fatal.
At the very least, I should be able to fight normally until the day dawns.

"You look terrible. Do you recognize me, Shirou?"

"!"

Music: Stop

I quickly turn around.
…In the back of the shed…
Shrouded in darkness just beyond the moon's reach, there stands a Servant in black.

"Rider. You…"



My mission is to protect you, but Sakura is my Master. So long as she is the one trying to harm you, I can offer you no assistance.
That is why I did not help you in the forest. It was your own fault to be attacked by Berserker."

Rider explains lightly.
…She speaks without emotion.
It seems she was waiting for me to be alone.

"…I see. Then you came here to…"
"To kill you. You and your allies are Sakura's enemies. Thus, I cannot let you meet her."
Rider's holding a nail-like dagger.
…I feel her hostility creeping up my spine.



Option 3 just leads to another choice; specifically, this one:



...but having five choices seems a bit confusing, and would easily slant the vote since it's really two choices and four of the above lead to the same thing. So instead, vote between:

1. Sparks Liner High
2. Day 16