Chuan Er: No One Understands Command Spells Better Than I Do! (Please Support the New Book!)

After parting ways with Shinji, Rin found herself carrying an extra bag of food.

Inside were insulated foil containers and some dipping sauce. The containers held Soup Dumplings that cost five hundred yuan per serving.

"That guy obviously bought too many by accident, yet he still sold them to me at full price without even giving me a discount..." Rin pressed a hand to her forehead. "As expected, we just don't get along."

"But..." Rin sighed again, thinking, Well, whatever. At least half of dinner is taken care of now. That saves me some trouble. I'll just make something else when I get back...

Lost in thought, Rin returned home—the Tohsaka Residence, which appeared to outsiders like a lonely house standing in the middle of nowhere.

After opening the door and entering the foyer, she walked down the short corridor and turned toward the stairs. Then her gaze was suddenly drawn to the telephone resting on a small table by the corner.

Its blinking indicator clearly told Rin—there was a voice message.

A message left at 3:21 in the afternoon on January 31st.

After she pressed the button, the phone very considerately announced the exact time the message had been left.

"It's me. You should know that the deadline is tomorrow, Rin. If you keep dragging this out, I'll be the one getting a headache. There are only two positions left, but there's no time anymore—the Archer and Saber classes. We must quickly find Masters, summon Servants, and activate their Command Spells. Of course, if you don't intend to participate in the Holy Grail War, then pretend I never said anything. But if you still value your life, get to the church as soon as possible—"

Beep!

Before the recording—the message from a man whose voice carried barely detectable pleasure, along with a hint of earnest persuasion—could finish, Rin pressed the stop button.

"Hmph. I already know that without you telling me."

Before she knew it, it was eight o'clock in the evening.

On the second-floor living room of the Matou Residence, where dinner had long since ended.

Taking the black tea Sakura handed him and lightly tasting it, Shinji spoke. "Sakura, can you stay up a little later tonight? We might have a guest."

The clever Sakura immediately thought of something. She lightly brushed her hair behind her ear and asked, "Is it... Rider's new Master?"

There was really only one possibility that Sakura—and Rider herself—could think of for ensuring the Matou Family would not be implicated while still allowing Rider to participate in the Holy Grail War.

"Yeah, you could put it that way." Shinji nodded lightly.

"What kind of person are they?"

Sakura continued asking, while Rider, standing nearby, also looked toward Shinji.

"To be honest, I don't know either." Shinji shrugged. "After all, there's usually more than one choice. Your brother can't completely predict how things will unfold either, so I can't say for sure who it'll be."

"Huh?" Sakura murmured in confusion, unable to make sense of it.

Shinji smiled softly and said gently, "In any case, whoever it is, after tonight, that cruel war over that thing will have nothing to do with you or me anymore."

Looking at Shinji's gentle smile, Sakura felt an overwhelming sense of reassurance.

A moment later, her eyes curved into crescents as she answered with a smile.

"Mm."

Late at night, 11:50.

In a room lit only by the dim yellow glow of a desk lamp, Shinji sat at his desk with furrowed brows, arms folded and a finger between his teeth. He silently stared at the two objects before him—a phone and that puppet arm.

They represented two different candidates to become Rider's next Master. One was a magus secretly hired by the company, while the other was... Bazett.

Second by second, time passed, but Bazett, whom Shinji had hoped for, still had not arrived.

Watching the clock as it reached 11:59, with only ten seconds left until midnight, Shinji sighed softly and slowly reached for the phone on the desk.

But just as his hand was about to touch it, he suddenly sensed a slight ripple in the barrier outside.

She had come after all, in the very last second.

Dressed in a suit, with a silver cylinder roughly ten centimeters in diameter and fifty centimeters long strapped across her back behind her right shoulder, and her left arm missing, Bazett looked at the Matou Residence before her. A faint trace of barrier residue still lingered around it, and her feelings were complicated.

Although she had heard him say that the Matou Family had completely withdrawn from the world of Magecraft, she had not expected them to withdraw so thoroughly that even their magical barrier had been completely dismantled.

Bazett herself did not know what had driven her to come to the Matou Residence. At the very least, she was certain it was not merely because of what Shinji had said about the Holy Grail War...

After hesitating outside the door for a long time, Bazett finally tentatively reached for the doorbell beside the gate. Yet just as she was about to touch it, she pulled her hand back.

"Sister Bazett, just come in."

Shinji stuck his head out from the window and waved with a smile.

Seeing Shinji grinning brightly, his face practically radiating sunshine, Bazett somehow suddenly recalled what had happened last night. Her face began to burn again, and she silently turned away.

Sitting on the sofa in the second-floor reception room, Bazett had unexpectedly become restrained. At the very least, she did not dare look Shinji directly in the face. After all, the two of them had nearly made a serious mistake yesterday...

Beside her, Shinji continued speaking in an even tone.

"...Anyway, that's roughly how it is. By the way, Sister Bazett, have you been listening to me?"

"So, the Matou Family summoned a Servant, but they do not wish to participate in the Holy Grail War." Bazett spoke as though she were calm, but in truth, she did not dare meet Shinji's eyes at all.

"That's right. It was Grandfather's decision while he was still alive. Even summoning the Servant was Grandfather's order. It wasn't Sakura's wish."

"You want me to become the Master of the Matou Family's Servant?" Bazett was not stupid and immediately guessed Shinji's intentions.

"That's not quite right. A Servant is a Servant—it has nothing to do with the Matou Family. Sister Bazett, you can have complete control over the Servant. You sensed it too, didn't you? Our family's magecraft workshop and magical barrier are gone. The Matou Family has completely severed all ties with Magecraft. We don't want to continue some Holy Grail War where people kill each other either."

"Is your sister willing? Transferring Command Spells and a Servant is..."

Bazett's brows knit slightly, and she trailed off.

"Of course. I wouldn't let something as cruel as cutting off my sister's arm or extracting her nerves happen. To put it plainly, the Command Spell system of the Holy Grail War was provided by the Matou Family. No one in this world understands the Command Spell system better than the Matou Family. I also know exactly how to transfer the Command Spells while avoiding those first two methods."

Bazett carefully considered it. If things were truly as Shinji said, then taking over the Matou Family's Servant was indeed the best choice. Yet something still felt off—such as why this man was helping her so much.

"You..." Bazett looked at Shinji with furrowed brows. "Why didn't you tell me that the Matou Family had already summoned a Servant when you told me Zouken Matou was dead?"

"It's a very simple question. I was just guarding against you, Sister Bazett." Shinji shrugged. "After all, compared to you, my sister and I are merely ordinary people. Even if my sister has a little talent for magecraft, she's completely outclassed by you.

"If I put myself in your shoes, then the Matou Family's Servant would be something I would definitely fight for. Because it's the best choice. And isn't that the essence of the Holy Grail War? Magi killing each other and all that."

"Then why tell me now? Even now, I could still use force to seize the Matou Family's Command Spells."

"Because after spending the last few days together, I realized that Sister Bazett, you're actually a pretty good woman. As long as things are made clear, you probably wouldn't do something like that."

Seeing Shinji's eyes curve as he revealed that smiling face once more, Bazett once again remembered that unforgettable something from last night. Her whole face began to burn...

(Extra Chapter for Reaching 5,000 Bookmarks)