Intermission

Compared to the night before when so many things had happened, the daytime of the second day was unbelievably peaceful. When Jizi woke up in the morning, she had to stop her daily exercise routine due to Shiro and Rin's insistence. However, lying on the tatami mat and being taken care of by others made her even more uncomfortable. After some arguing, she half-forced to take over the kitchen and hummed a little tune as she fiddled with the pots and pans.

During the time that Jizi was unconscious, Shiro and Rin seemed to have reached some kind of agreement. In short, for the time being, before resolving the Einzbern issue, both sides agreed to maintain peaceful coexistence. Even Saber, who harbored a deep grudge against the previous Assassin, didn't say much after witnessing Berserker's overwhelming strength.

In short, no one was injured, and no one was hostile to each other. It's truly a cause for celebration!

Lunch was exceptionally lavish thanks to Jizi's deliberate efforts; were it not for Saber's presence, there would likely have been a huge waste of food. Saber's attitude towards Jizi changed noticeably after this; previously, she had been quite cold towards Kiko due to the inexplicable connection between Kiko and [Assassin], but now she was much more friendly. In the afternoon, a phone call came from the school, and Shiro, to appease Tiger of Fuyuki no Tora, had to rush over with a bento box as an offering, with Saber accompanying him as a bodyguard. Thus, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Jizi and Rin were currently alone together at the Emiya Residence.

As for spending time alone together, the two of them had been doing so for who knows how long in the Tohsaka Residence and Tohsaka Residence Basement. Even if they just sat together without saying anything, they wouldn't feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, they would feel warm because of each other's silent companionship.

However, after yesterday's series of unexpected developments, the relationship between the two has undergone some changes.

Jizi vaguely remembered having a dream with a lot of information while she was unconscious. In the dream, she also made a very important decision. However, after waking up, she couldn't recall the contents of the dream. She also felt that she had lost some memories and gained some. Just sorting out her memories made her feel upset. Faced with Rin's concerned but questioning gaze, she chose to run away for the first time.

"Jizi, I--"

"Excuse me, Rin-senpai, I need to do the dishes now. Um, you didn't sleep a wink last night, so why don't you get some rest while it's still daytime? Something might happen tonight, and it wouldn't be good if something went wrong because you were too tired."

"Rin-senpai..." Rin Tohsaka paused, savoring the way Jizi addressed her, before meeting Jizi's gaze. Seeing the almost pleading look in those dark eyes, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue and smiled slightly.

"That's true, I'm a bit tired too."

"Hmm," Rin saw the gratitude on Jizi's face and pointed to the end of the corridor, "The blankets in the guest rooms haven't been washed in a while and are a bit dirty. If you don't mind, please use my room first."

"Then I'll take my leave."

Watching Rin walk into her room, Jizi sighed almost imperceptibly, then turned to deal with the pots and pans in the sink that were easy to wash.

"Damn it, it's gone again." Jizi noticed that the dish soap bottle in her hand was empty and complained. She was about to get a new one when she suddenly stopped and said to the air, "Why aren't you doing your security work? What are you doing here?"

"It's daytime now, there's no danger." The archer in the Red Coat deactivated his Spiritual Body form and tossed over a bottle. "Besides, it's so cold outside, even Servants would prefer to stay indoors in the warmth—what, not welcome?"

"No, not at all." Jizi took the bottle and found it was an unopened bottle of dish soap, her favorite brand. "I'm sorry, I'm busy right now and can't leave. Please make yourself at home, and feel free to have some tea if you'd like."

"..."

Archer was taken aback by Jizi's casual attitude, then chuckled dryly, pulled out a chair at the dining table, and sat down, watching Jizi skillfully tidy up the messy kitchen.

"..."

Clang, clang.

"..."

Clang, clang.

"..."

Clang! "I said," Jizi stopped the cacophony of pots and pans playing in the background, "Just say what you have to say. It's a little creepy to have you watching me from behind like this."

"He clearly doesn't want to tell Master."

"I don't want to talk to you either, but I really don't want to be stared at like this."

The dishes were all washed clean. Jizi wiped the sink clean with a cloth, wiped her sweat, and sat down at the dining table, facing Archer. The latter spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Actually, what I really want to know is—who exactly are you?"

"Kiko Emiya," Jizi replied calmly, "Kiritsugu Emiya daughter, Shirou Emiya's stepsister, Rin Tohsaka's assistant—that's what I originally thought."

Jizi sighed again, "But it seems it's not that simple."

"I think I've forgotten something—something very important, but even so, I have no desire to retrieve those memories—since the past me and the present me no longer share any common memories, I might as well just treat them as two different people. It's just that many things, as I just said, aren't as simple as they seem."

"Those memories contain significant events and are connected to many things happening now—but if I truly accept them, does that mean that the existence of 'Kiko Emiya' is equivalent to disappearing?"

"While outsiders might think that different memories could mean the same person, for the person involved, it's a hurdle they just can't get over."

Once she started talking, it was hard to stop. To herself, Jizi was surprised that she had blurted out her thoughts to Archer, a servant she had only known for a short time.

After listening to Jizi's somewhat inexplicable confession, Archer also showed a thoughtful expression, muttering to himself, "The past self and the present self... Heh, is this a hallmark of the Emiya family?"

"What?"

Archer spoke the next sentence very quickly, and Jizi didn't hear it clearly.

"It's nothing, just some feelings—by the way, have you thought about the next question?"

"I've thought about it—I definitely want to regain those memories; it's the most rational decision. It's just that I'm too weak, which is why I'm running away."

"But--"

"Let's not talk about me for now," Jizi suddenly interrupted. "Actually, since last night, I've had some strange thoughts popping into my head. Because of my instinctive resistance, I've forgotten most of them. However, there's one thing about you that I vaguely remember."

Archer was startled and was about to get up and leave, but Jizi didn't give him the chance and asked the question:

"You said you lost your memory because of a summoning mistake. Have you remembered anything now, Archer--"

----------------------------------ps------------------

P. S. 1. Since I'll definitely be in an environment without internet or a computer during the Spring Festival, I'd like to wish everyone a prosperous Year of the Monkey and a Happy New Year in advance.

P. S. 2. I really want to cancel the side quests in Gensokyo, I really, really want to...