Confessions and feelings

"... Rin, what exactly is your relationship with [assassin]?"

In the dark bedroom, the two lying on the bed could only see each other's outlines, but Rin could still guess that Jizi Zi's eyes were filled with a feeling of hesitation yet still wanting to know.

She wanted to answer, but couldn't find the right words. How could she describe it? In a nightmare that lasted two weeks ten years ago, what exactly caused the connection and bond to form between the unruly heroic Heroic Spirit and the seemingly mature young lady?

Moreover, in the way she looked at her, there was clearly the shadow of someone else in her eyes—was she just flirting with that immature Rin out of boredom, or did she only want to use her as a substitute for someone else? Rin still couldn't understand this, let alone explain it to others.

"..."

"If it's hard to say... then forget it. Sorry for asking a strange question. Tomorrow will be very busy, so get some sleep. Goodnight."

Jizi's voice was a little low. She turned over and curled up to fight the cold of the winter night.

"..."

A sudden surge of emotion welled up in Rin's heart. She reached out and pulled Jizi close, hugging her from behind.

"Cold!"

The girl in his arms had a warm and soft body, the complete opposite of [assassin]'s. But why did he feel an inexplicable closeness to her when they first met? It must be because he saw that guy's shadow in her. Thinking about it, he was just like [her] back then, treating Kiko Emiya as a substitute.

But that's unfair, so it's necessary to explain everything to her.

"There's nothing wrong with saying it. I just needed to sort out my thoughts first."

With their bodies pressed together, Jizi felt a burning sensation all over her body. The shivering she had felt even under the covers was dispelled by the two flames of desire, one from her mind and the other from her body. It was strange, but not unpleasant.

Ten years ago, I was just an immature kid who couldn't do anything but always thought I could solve all problems.

Rin's eyes were fixed on the upper left corner, as if it weren't pitch black but a water curtain reflecting ten years of time. Although she now held many formidable titles, such as the disciple of the Grand Magecraft Marshal and the most talented Magecraft in the Clock Tower, her tone couldn't help but be tinged with emotion and melancholy when she recalled the beginning of everything.

"When the Fourth Holy Grail War began, my knowledge and level were actually about the same as Shirou's now. I couldn't understand what my father was involved in at all—he deliberately wanted me to stay away from those things. Then, a few days before sending my mother and me back to Zenjou, Kirei Kotomine —at that time, he was still my father's disciple and collaborator—in order to gain an intelligence advantage in advance, under my father's arrangement, chose to summon an assassin who had no ability to fight directly."

"Father's strategy was actually to have the Assassin gather intelligence, while he summoned a powerful Servant to observe and establish an advantage through information asymmetry. This way, the Assassin could not only use his class ability to complete the mission, but also be used as cannon fodder when necessary."

"I don't know if she saw through my role as a pawn from the beginning or if she simply didn't care. Anyway, when Kirei Kotomine brought her to this mansion to report to my father, I mistook her for an intruder and launched an attack. Haha, it's ridiculous now that I think about it. A little girl attacking a Servant? If it weren't for her, she probably would have killed me on the spot. Anyway, my father didn't introduce me to her at the time."

Rin paused for a moment, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily curved up. It was unclear whether she was laughing at her own foolishness or feeling happy as she recalled the past.

"She was probably just bored, so she played with me for a while, and then pretended that I had caught her. I only realized I had made a big misunderstanding when my father came out after hearing the noise. Later, my father assigned her to protect my mother and me during the day, and she went on missions at night. It was during that time that I gradually became familiar with her."

"At the time, I was completely unaware of her identity. Because she had deliberately tricked me before, I consciously went against her. She wasn't angry at all. Despite being Heroic Spirit, she was happy to play with a child. Well, because I had always been groomed by my father to be the next head of the family, I had almost never experienced the feeling of being completely relaxed. Plus, during that period... well, never mind. Anyway, being with her gave me a rare feeling of ease and happiness."

"A few days later, my mother and I were sent to the Zenjou Family. We knew nothing about what was happening in Fuyuki, but one of the masters there was a madman who enjoyed torturing and killing children, and the one he summoned was Bluebeard, who was also rumored to be abusing children. They ignored the order of war, treating the place like a playground, and did whatever they wanted. Some of my classmates were also captured."

"And then..." Rin's voice trembled slightly, perhaps recalling the scene she had witnessed, "I still don't know where I got the courage to try and save my classmate on my own."

"So you just..." Saving a girl in danger and then winning her favor—this trope was too cliché, Jizi easily guessed what would happen next.

"Yes, she could have easily run away, but to protect me, she fought the enemy head-on despite being an Assassin... and then..."

Rin suddenly stopped, remembering what had happened afterward. Her hand instinctively went around Jizi's neck and touched her lips (①), her cheeks flushing red. Unfortunately, this rare and charming look was hidden by the darkness, and no one could appreciate it.

"Anyway, although it was a close call, she still managed to save me and take me back to my mother. Then, I didn't see her again until near the end of the war. She was covered in wounds and brought my unconscious father to Zenjou. She told me that Kirei Kotomine and my father's servant had betrayed us, but Kirei Kotomine's servant had protected my father instead. After resting for a while, she returned to the battlefield. The next night, she came to me for the last time, gave me this Mystic Eyes, and then died. Thinking about it, I realized that I didn't actually spend much time with her."

"But... I can never forget her image, that composed attitude no matter what happened, and that deliberately frivolous yet confident smile..."

After talking for so long, Rin sounded a little tired. Her eyelids became heavy, and her consciousness gradually blurred. In her daze, she didn't even know what she was saying.

"Jizi, when I first saw you, I felt like I was seeing her again. You two are so alike. I'm sorry for seeing you as a substitute for someone else, but really, I can't help it..."

"Jizi... you and her..."

"[Jizi]..."

Rin's murmurs gradually subsided, eventually turning into soft breaths on Jizi's neck. The arms that were holding her lost their strength, as if she had drifted into a sweet dream.

Jizi chimed in when Rin mentioned how the [assassin] saved her, but then fell silent, as if she had also fallen asleep.

But almost half an hour later, Jizi gently opened her closed eyes, revealing a pair of eyes that glowed red.

"Cold..."

She carefully removed Rin's hand from her body, then crawled out from under the covers, bent down, and gently stroked Rin's black hair.

"Honestly, even though you treated me so badly back then, you actually still liked me a lot, didn't you?"

But did she know that her first encounter with [Jizi] had already begun long before the Fourth Holy Grail War? Long, long before Rin was attracted to [Jizi], [Jizi] had already been deeply fascinated by Rin.

"Sleep peacefully, I will protect you."

[Jizi] leaned down and pressed her lips to Lin's pink lips, the touch as wonderful as it had been ten years ago. After a light touch, she quickly pulled away, her gaze piercing through the darkness to clearly admire the girl's sleeping face. Then she turned away, letting her body be enveloped in Black Mist. Soon the Black Mist dissipated, revealing a figure wearing a black fraternity robe and Mask on his face.

"I'll be right back after a short while."

[Jizi] opened the window and was about to jump outside, but the moment her hand touched the window frame, a silver Magic Circle appeared on the glass, and several Magecraft threads like those Illya had used before shot out and bound her.

"!"

A trap? But all the barriers here were set up by Jizi and Rin together to deal with potential intruders. How could this body trigger them?

Before she could think any further, she heard the sound of the blanket being pulled back behind her. She quickly turned around and was met with Rin's ambiguous smile.

"It's so late, where are you rushing off to, [Satsuki Sister]?"

--------------Notes------------------------

①. In the original uncensored version, Jizi barely escaped death by replenishing her magic power by plundering the bodily fluids of the Loli Rin -- an explanation for new readers if this is a hypothetical scenario.

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

P. S. 1. Hey you, I give up, but I don't believe you're Gold rank. Don't get too cocky though, I'm going to train hard on the ladder right now, and one day I'll crush you with my poison blast.