Shirou stood there with his mouth half-open in silence for quite a while before finally letting out a soft sigh.
"I don't even know whether I should be surprised. Shinji, your past exploits have been far too dazzling, so even something this shocking sounds perfectly natural coming from you."
As he spoke, Shirou looked toward Rin, who had not said another word since her "What did you say?" and had kept her head lowered in silence the entire time.
"By the way, Shinji, is Tohsaka all right? She hasn't said a single word since earlier."
"Who knows?" Shinji glanced at Rin, then waved a hand dismissively. "Someone who rides in another person's car without even saying thanks won't be getting any help from me next time."
"Didn't you make Tohsaka like this? She became like this after you said something to her."
"Did I? I don't remember."
"Hmph!" Rin finally snapped out of it. Crossing her arms and crossing one leg over the other, she lifted her chin arrogantly and spoke with feigned indifference. "Even if I didn't summon Saber, I can still win in the end. Besides, are you really so sure your family's Holy Relic can summon a Saber-class Servant?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Urgh..." Rin choked again. After a few seconds of silence, she turned her face away and asked quietly, "Then... who is the hero associated with that Holy Relic?"
"One of the Knights of the Round Table, a hero renowned as the strongest knight."
At those words, Saber's expression changed slightly, while Rin cried out directly, "What?! The strongest Knight of the Round Table... you mean King Arthur?!"
Saber opened her mouth, but upon realizing that arguing now might expose her identity before an enemy, she stopped herself from refuting it.
Taking in Saber's change in