It's Said That All Singing Is Your Fault

After confirming that the materialized assassin posed no surveillance threat, Kirei Kotomine stepped into the entrance hall of the Tohsaka Residence.

After exchanging a few polite pleasantries with Aoi Tohsaka, he headed straight for the basement, which served as Tokiomi Tohsaka's workshop.

Although there was still ample time before the Holy Grail War began, an atmosphere of impending tension could already be felt within the house—emanating from the complex and intricate magic circles in the courtyard or the powerful magic emanating from the gems in the workshop. This aligned with Kirei's consistent impression of his master: capable of thorough preparation in broad strokes, but somewhat careless with the details of actual implementation. Rectifying these "minor details" was one of the most frequent tasks Kirei had undertaken over the past three years.

"Arriving at this time, your summoning ritual must be complete. What kind of Servant did you summon?" a question came with his usual noble smile.

"As for the assassin, their attributes are quite fitting, but I'm still unsure about their Noble Phantasm or whether their personality can be controlled. For now, they are following my instructions. They are currently outside familiarizing themselves with the environment and conducting surveillance," Kirei replied with his usual meticulous attitude.

"In other words, no unforeseen circumstances have arisen. My catalyst will arrive soon, the grand ritual is about to commence, and I am certain to achieve ultimate victory, thus fulfilling the magus's long-held wish to reach the Root."

While outwardly agreeing with his master, who exuded an aura of confidence bordering on arrogance, Kirei's inner thoughts pondered: if he couldn't find the "meaning" he sought from his master, whose will was among the most steadfast within the scope of humanity, would he find answers among those "non-human" existences—the Heroic Spirits? And what were the aspirations of the Servant who voiced the same question as himself regarding the Grail? What about the other six?

Perhaps he might gain something from this magnificent farce. With such a premonition, Kirei Kotomine's lips curved into a rare, awkward arc.

[Jizi: You've hit the nail on the head in many ways!]

Pacing silently back and forth on the roof tiles, observing the magic arrays set up in the estate and committing them firmly to memory, Jizi felt an inexplicable urge to exclaim.

Was it truly worthy of Tokiomi Tohsaka? Setting aside his mistakes... ahem, setting aside the practical applications of the magic circles, the lines traced by the flow of mana alone could be considered a work of exquisite art. And within them lay various intricate designs, like a finely crafted clock. Though Jizi, only able to perceive the mana trails and surface appearances, couldn't fully grasp the mechanisms, it didn't prevent her from appreciating something of value.

"But no matter how advanced you make it, it will ultimately be destroyed by my hand." It was somewhat sentimental to have something she admired be ruined by her own actions. However, Jizi knew that to achieve her goals, she might have to trample upon not only magic circles but also the lives of her favorite characters, perhaps even the lives of completely innocent people, or even the beautiful wishes held in the hearts of outstanding individuals. If she couldn't shed her usual indecisiveness and melancholic sentimentality, the mission would absolutely fail, and her own fate would be uncertain.

"But perhaps I'm just lamenting the destruction of things that the creator poured their heart and soul into, much like the gifts my sister used to give me. As for killing a person or two, it doesn't seem to be a very strong objection." Jizi quickly broke free from her previous emotions—this was one of her few distinguishing traits. In fact, when she thought about it carefully, F/Z itself was a story about the distortion and trampling of beautiful things through the clash of ideals. None of the characters with normal morals (at least, compared to others) met a good end; they all had E-rank luck—Saber, Tokiomi... "So, I should just quickly remold my own worldview. The useless otaku Jizi has already been ironed flat!"

Whether it was her wild imagination or her attitude of caring about nothing but her sister, Jizi's thoughts, after clarifying her psychological issues, quickly diverged like a runaway train towards the unknown future: "Speaking of which, wasn't I supposed to be introduced to Tokiomi? Why isn't there any movement from Papa yet? Two men alone in a confined basement, what kind of play are they going to have? Or is it that I'm overthinking things, and Kirei x Tokiomi is the correct interpretation? Surveillance duty is so boring. Besides, the Kiritsugu hasn't even reached District 11 yet. What's there to be vigilant about? Hurry up and show me someone who can entertain me—Aha, what have I found?"

--- Scene Change ---

If one were to ask Kirei Kotomine about Tokiomi Tohsaka, the evaluation would likely be along the lines of "an excellent magus, a person of clear will, perfect in etiquette and demeanor." And if one were to ask Aoi Tohsaka, it would be "a considerate husband, a competent head of the household," and so on. However, no matter how many flattering words these two used, they would still mention the flaw: "While his overall perspective is good, he often makes mistakes due to carelessness." After all, they were the closest to him and understood him best; they could tolerate his flaws but would never fail to notice them.

But there was one person who, despite being incredibly close to him, overlooked his obvious flaws due to excessive adoration. No matter what actions he took, she would self-hypnotize herself into believing they were "perfect"—a perfect magus, a perfect nobleman, a perfect teacher, a perfect father—this was how Rin Tohsaka saw Tokiomi.

Her father, who was like this, was currently preparing for an important event. He had not only strengthened the household's defenses but also created a large number of mana storage gems. Moreover, he was planning to send her and her mother to the Zenjou Family soon. The fact that her father, who could calmly handle any situation, was showing such a grave and dangerous attitude indicated the seriousness and peril of the event.

However, Rin Tohsaka had no reason to doubt that her father would achieve success with his usual elegant demeanor. And as his daughter, all she could do for her father was to complete her studies and take good care of herself, so as not to distract him.

Thus, dressed neatly, with her appearance tidied and her braids tied, today's Rin Tohsaka was as elegant and perfect as her father!

The original plan was to go to the basement to practice magic without disturbing her father, and perhaps spend a little more time by her father's side before being sent to the Zenjou Family... It wasn't because she wanted to be pampered; how could someone who had received elite education since childhood have such thoughts? It was merely a desire to learn more of her father's style, as direct instruction and personal example were the best methods. Unfortunately, she heard that Kirei had arrived and was discussing important matters with her father, so she could only go to the garden to play... It wasn't playing, though; she was just improving herself by observing the magic circles her father had set up! The heir of the Tohsaka family, who constantly demanded strictness from herself, couldn't forget her practice even when playing—no, when relaxing.

The interior design of the Tohsaka Residence exuded a sense of elegance. Although ten years later, only the surface would remain, it still had a solid foundation. Rin Tohsaka once again admired her home in her heart, then, according to her plan, began observing the defensive arrays distributed throughout the courtyard.

"As expected of Father, such tight defenses, no one could possibly break in... Ah, who are you?!"

It didn't take much thought to know that it was Jizi, who had suddenly appeared before the inexplicably confident loli, intending to amuse herself.

"The summoning ritual is almost ready. I expect you and your father to grace us with your presence and witness the moment an ancient hero descends. I wish to share that excitement with you."

"Understood, my teacher. Father surely feels the same. Then, I shall take my leave for today. Next, I will have the assassin familiarize themselves with Fuyuki City's geography for future intelligence gathering."

"Indeed. It falls to you. The assassin is a crucial part of the initial plan, but Kirei, you will not make any mistakes. That will be all for today."

The master and disciple, who had been alone (emphasis added) in the basement for a long time, finished their conversation. As Tokiomi Tohsaka escorted his prized student and assistant to the entrance hall out of courtesy, he heard his daughter's scream, followed by a commotion. Just as he reflexively prepared to activate the household's defensive measures, Kirei Kotomine, who, to a certain extent, shared senses with his Servant and had already understood the situation, stopped him.

Then, Rin Tohsaka's breathless but triumphant voice rang out, "Father, I caught a thief!"

Was it an illusion? The elegant gentleman seemed to have noticed several black lines on the face of his disciple, who never showed any emotional expression.