Seeds laid for later

Emerging from the Workshop where prisoners were held, [Jizi] lightly leaped onto the roof. The moonlight in the Miyama Town was bright and clear, carrying with it a sense of tranquility and mystery far removed from civilization, hiding among the clouds.

"The last time I saw the moon like this was when I was on duty at the Tohsaka Residence. Ten years... it's passed in the blink of an eye."

Although [Jizi] has spent the past ten years sealed, unlike Kiko Emiya is unwilling to accept her past memories, she can see the other's memories and emotions. After reviewing the details of these ten years, she can understand why she refused to assimilate.

Family, friends, a simple life and warm daily routines, and a touch of budding romance—this was everything [Jizi] once wanted. Since Kiko Emiya, who was originally the same person, had already obtained it, why would she want to destroy this beautiful thing?

But reality doesn't allow for escape. The curse of the Black Mud has only been transferred to the Mask, not removed. Gilgamesh and Kirei Kotomine are still plotting behind the scenes, and the health of Old Worm Zouken Matou and Sakura also needs to be taken care of. If so many problems are not resolved, the so-called "Kiko Emiya's daily life" is nothing but a bubble and an illusion.

"Fine, it's only natural for a higher-level character to carry a lower-level one. While I can still get out, I'll do everything I can, even if it's a bit strenuous!"

"Oh? Do you need my help?"

Suddenly, another deep male voice rang out from the rooftop. [Jizi] turned around and saw a white-haired man in a red trench coat staring at him with a serious look.

"It's you, Archer." [Jizi] wasn't surprised. With her Magic Resistance, she had already noticed someone nearby. That self-talk was a deliberate attempt to lure him out.

"..."

"Don't look so tense," [Jizi] smiled, "Come over and chat?"

"I can't determine whether you're a friend or foe."

"Hehe, your master trusts me a lot, you know~"

Ten years ago, she was just a young girl, easily deceived.

"How heartless of you, Archer," [Jizi] laughed even more broadly, patting her meager breasts. "This body clearly belongs to your sister, can't you be a little gentler, Emiya- kun?"

"! How could you--" This time, Archer's expression finally wavered, while [Jizi] continued in an inscrutable tone:

"I know, I know everything, your real name, Zouken Matou, Sakura's body—so now, are you in the mood to have a proper talk with me?"

"Tsk." Archer made an annoyed sound. He hated the feeling of being understood by someone he knew nothing about, but he could still judge the strength of the situation. "What do you want to say?"

"I have a small plan, and I hope you can cooperate."

--------------------------------------Time Jump--------------------------------------

"Ah--" Emiya Kiko stretched and yawned, getting up from the Kiko Emiya mat. She opened her eyes, glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, and realized there were still a few minutes left before her alarm was set.

"Let's get up."

Although winter mornings make one want to stay in bed a million times longer, good habits formed since childhood still prevail. Jizi threw off the covers, letting the cold air drive away her sleepiness, and gritted her teeth as she sat up.

"Huh?"

For some reason, while getting dressed, Jizi felt something was off about her body. Her movements felt strangely uncoordinated, like muscle fatigue after a workout, even though she had slept all night. Had she sleepwalked out and done a set of calisthenics last night?

"Let's discuss it with Rin later."

When faced with a problem, consulting Rin has almost become her guiding principle. It's not that she lacks her own opinions, but the things she can't decide on are usually outside her area of expertise, so she prefers to seek help from professionals rather than trying to figure it out on her own.

After washing up, Jizi habitually went to the dojo to practice her swordsmanship. These past few days, because of the Holy Grail War, she made up a reason to get Grandpa Leihua Fujimura to keep Taiga occupied—because it was Jizi, who had a very good reputation, who believed her without question—but even without her sparring partner, she still had to do her basic training.

However, before she even entered the dojo, she heard the sound of bamboo swords clashing inside, indicating that people were already training there.

"Oh? Could it be...?"

Upon opening the door, they found Shirou and Saber facing off, swords drawn. Judging from the sweat on their bodies and the bruises on their skin, Shirou had clearly been severely beaten.

"Keep attacking, Shirou!"

"Oh!"

The red-haired boy raised his sword high, trying to overpower Saber from above. Theoretically, this tactic would be correct given his slight height advantage. However, he overlooked the disproportionate difference in strength between the two. Since their future opponents might be Servant-level, Saber wouldn't be suppressing her strength too much during training. As the bamboo swords clashed, Shirou felt as if his hand was about to split open, and he lost his grip, letting the weapon fly away.

Then a gust of wind hit him, and Saber's sword tip was already pressed against his nose.

"Unqualified." The swordswoman's voice was clear and calm. Although she gave this assessment, there was no disappointment in her eyes.

"But don't be discouraged, you've made great progress."

"It's still not enough," Shirou shook his head. "At this rate, we're still far from being able to intervene in the battles between other participants."

"You're too impatient, Shirou," Saber understood her master's feelings, but whether from the perspective of a servant or a warrior and Knight, she had to advise him, "Power is always a process of accumulation. Although there are always ways to gain great power in a short time, those are all crooked paths that will leave lasting problems."

"I know, but there's no time to accumulate it slowly now."

Shirou sighed, somewhat helplessly. In terms of physical ability, he was not bad at all, but he was too inexperienced and lacked experience and skills in combat. Not to mention Saber, even Kiko, who had been Jizi with Taiga for many years, was several times better than him.

"You're doing it wrong," Jizi said, stepping forward and handing Shirou a towel. "No matter how much you improve, an ordinary human can never be a Servant—especially someone like Saber who excels at head-on combat. What you need to train isn't 'the ability to defeat the opponent,' but 'the ability to protect yourself and hold out until backup arrives.'"

"Jizi is right," Saber nodded, "Master shouldn't have been facing off directly in the first place."

"Anyway, take a break and see how I do it." Jizi picked up a bamboo sword that suited her hand, performed a few fancy moves, and then said to Saber, "Can we spar a bit, Miss Saber?"

"No need for Miss." Saber raised her sword again, assuming a fighting stance.

---------------------------Time Jump---------------------------

When Rin arrived at the dining room, everyone else from the Emiya Residence was already seated around the table, even Archer was there. She had intended to retort as usual, but upon seeing Jizi's expression, her attention was diverted to her.

"Jizi, did you just go running a marathon?"

In terms of exercise intensity, it's about the same.

Saber's swordsmanship follows the standard routines of medieval Europe, characterized by wide, sweeping movements aimed primarily at killing the opponent. Jizi, on the other hand, learns the Fujimura Style from Taiga, a Touhou the East martial art with a uniquely graceful charm, where many movements are designed to confuse the opponent rather than directly attack. If one side is all-powerful and aggressive, the other relies on skill to overcome brute force; it's impossible to definitively say which is stronger, but both users possess a certain competitive spirit.

After a few more tentative exchanges, Jizi and Saber roughly gauged each other's skill levels. To demonstrate her earlier point to Shirou, Jizi used several feints to lure Saber into close combat, then exploited Saber's unfamiliarity with Touhou swordsmanship to strike her right hand, effectively disarming her. Saber, seemingly unfazed by the initial setback, displayed a defiant attitude that Shirou noticed. Saber then used her strength to completely overpower Jizi, regaining the upper hand.

The atmosphere became somewhat strange at this point. The two sword-wielding girls appeared to be smiling and praising their opponent's prowess, yet the air crackled with the sound of sparks flying. At the start of the third round Jizi used one of the signature moves Taiga had taught her, but Saber dodged it as if she had anticipated it. Then came a relentless, whirlwind-like barrage of attacks, but Jizi seemed to be deliberately showing off, dodging each attack with agile movements at the last second, without ever using her sword to parry.

Shirou, realizing something was wrong, quickly called for a stop. Jizi, too exhausted to continue, also lost her strength, and they both calmed down.

Both Saber and Jizi found it strange. They clearly had a good impression of each other, so why did they feel an urge to make the other suffer when they picked up weapons?

Perhaps it's because she looks too much like that cunning Assassin from ten years ago? Saber thought to herself.

Perhaps it's because Rin seems to really admire Saber? That's what Jizi thought.

"Well, in short, your morning exercise was a bit too much, wasn't it?" Rin nodded after hearing Jizi's embellished description, not taking it too seriously. She had studied some martial arts, but she wasn't a professional Martial Arts artist and couldn't tell what constituted "practice" and what constituted "combat."

"Be more careful next time, we still have missions during the day."

"Understood, Rin."

"Yes."

Rin nodded, then continued in a leader's tone:

"Then let's continue our search for the Master who escaped yesterday at the school. Archer, you keep an eye on Ryuudou Temple. Saber, please keep an eye on that Servant. Use Command Seals if anything happens. If a battle occurs, prioritize your own safety and wait for reinforcements. Is that alright?"

"No problem."

"OK."

Leave it to me.

"Alright then, we'll--!"

Just as Rin was about to suggest setting off, she suddenly saw a dramatic increase in the concentration of magic power in the vicinity of her left Mystic Eyes of Replication, and the source of this was erupting from the backyard.

At the same time, Jizi also sensed that something was wrong:

"My Workshop —captured servants!"

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

P. S. 1. Astute readers will have already realized that Volume 1 of "The Vampire's Dignity" is an April Fool's joke and there will be no sequel.

P. S. 2. Revisiting the Fate game, I realized I'd forgotten many parts.