Epilogue.1

"Caster sister!"

When I came to my senses, I had already been pushed down by a girl with black hair.

She probably wanted to jump into my arms, but she pulled too hard, and since she's grown a lot, I can't pick her up as easily as I used to.

Huh? Why am I having this thought? Do I know this girl? Who is she?

"... cherry?"

The question had barely crossed my mind when a name naturally slipped out of my mouth.

"Um!"

The girl responded happily, as if hearing me call her name was a very joyful thing in itself.

She is Sakura, I know her; she is Sakura, she knows me, I am...

Huh? I am...

I am--

Who am I?

Sakura seemed to call me "Caster-neechan" just now. Is that my name? No way, what kind of parents would name their child like that? Besides, "neechan" is clearly a title suffix, how can it be considered part of the name?

So, my name is "caster"?

That doesn't seem right either?!

I can't find any specific reason, it's just a feeling, but my name shouldn't be made up of the letters "CASTER". It should be a very, very important word that carries complex meaning for me, containing grievances, stubbornness, longing, love, tears and many other things.

However, I forgot about it.

I felt a sudden pang of heartache for no apparent reason.

"Caster, what's wrong?"

"I don't think I look quite right right now," Sakura asked with concern.

But I don't know what's wrong with me—or rather, I don't know anything about "me" anymore.

My name, what I've done, why I'm here, and why I've forgotten all of that—I know nothing.

This must be what they call "amnesia," right?

But if I have amnesia, why do I know about "Sakura"? I also know that this is the Worm Chamber at the Matou Residence in Fuyuki City —speaking of which, why is it called the Worm Chamber? Are there many insects here? All I see is a Basement with strange patterns carved on the floor.

Many words whose meanings I don't know somehow crept into my mind, but my brain is still a mess. Countless fragmented thoughts wander chaotically and irregularly within it. Occasionally, they happen to arrange themselves into orderly memories, only to scatter again before I can even see them clearly.

And when I try to consciously organize them in order, I experience severe headaches and dizziness.

"Caster sister!"

Seeing me suddenly clutch my head in apparent pain, Sakura probably realized something was wrong. She quickly got off me and asked anxiously, "Is your magic power insufficient? Or is the injury you sustained back then still not healed?"

Actually, I didn't understand at all what she meant by "insufficient magic" or "the injury from back then." My head was throbbing, and I felt like I was about to give up and collapse, but before I lost consciousness, my body seemed to be controlled by some powerful force. It forced me to stand up and kneel down on one knee in front of Sakura, and my mouth involuntarily uttered:

"As an Archer, I ask you, are you my Master?"

"This must be some kind of necessary ritual," Sakura said, pausing her speculation after I asked. She solemnly showed me the back of her right hand and declared, "With this Command Seals as proof, I am your Master."

"Then," my head was throbbing terribly, and I just wanted to pass out, but a higher power forced me to complete this conversation, "My sword is with you—therefore, the contract is established."

After uttering the last syllable, I regained control of my body, and it took almost all my strength to keep from collapsing. Because I was kneeling before Sakura, she couldn't see my expression.

"I never expected my class to be Archer. Now I can't call her Caster-neechan anymore, and I don't want to call her Archer-neechan either, it sounds so weird -- so, could you tell me your real name?"

My real name -- My real name -- My real name --

Sakura's question stirred up certain memories hidden in my subconscious, and I could vaguely see the shadow of that name again—it was—

My head hurts so much!

So close!

My name is... My name is--

"Caster sister!"

My last memory was Sakura's panicked scream. What happened just moments before seemed to be the intimate contact my head made with the ground, and before that—my name!

I was so close... but I still couldn't remember.

When I woke up again, what greeted my eyes was--

"An unfamiliar ceiling—but that doesn't seem right either."

I don't have any concrete memories of it, but I feel that the ceiling wasn't "unfamiliar," and neither was the room I'm in now, nor the building itself.

I used to live here—that's for sure—but unfortunately, I have no memory of it.

I rolled over and got out of bed. When I lifted the covers, I realized that all my clothes were gone. I guess something must have been done to me while I was unconscious.

So, how should I react in this situation? Scream? Generally, girls would do that, right?

But, girl? Why does that word feel so strange to me?

Am I a girl?

After examining my body, in terms of structure, although some features are not very obvious, the key parts clearly prove my gender; I am indeed female. In addition, judging from my appearance alone, I don't seem to be very old. In every aspect, I meet the criteria of a "girl".

But there's still something subtly amiss...

"Caster-neechan—let's call you that for now—are you feeling better?"

Sakura's entrance interrupted my thoughts about my own gender identity. Her first words were about my well-being, and the gentleness I felt made me feel a little overwhelmed.

"..."

Because I don't know whether I'm "good" or "bad" right now, I can't answer. To be honest, my head doesn't hurt anymore, but my memory is still limited to that short period from when Sakura pushed me to when I passed out.

In addition, strange words and pieces of information occasionally pop into my head.

"Sister Caster?"

I really want to say something to Sakura, but I'm sorry, I really can't say anything.

"Strange? Could it be a summoning error? But I've checked the Magic Circle countless times, and the incantation is correct. I'm not the older sister; there's no way I could make a mistake at such a crucial point."

You just said something very rude to your "older sister"!

In any case, I should tell Sakura the truth. It's not good to keep her worrying like this—but before that, I have something very important to figure out.

My clothes...

"Um?"

Who took off my clothes?

Amnesia coupled with being naked would make anyone feel insecure, which is why my voice sounded very soft.

"Of course it's me," Sakura chuckled after hearing my question. "Hehehe, I never expected Caster-neechan to care about this."

This... it sounds like I used to have some serious issues with my behavior!

"But Caster-neechan is really something, why does she have to dress so lifelessly? So I threw all those clothes away, and for now, I'll wear my clothes."

As she spoke, Sakura pulled out a dress!

This is completely out of character for you!

"Oh," Sakura explained, probably noticing my question, "Aunt Alice gave this to me, but I'm not used to wearing it. But Caster-neechan would definitely suit it."

... Maybe, but I don't want to wear that. If possible, a regular pullover and jeans would be fine, preferably in a darker color.

"As for underwear, mine might not fit your size, but luckily Illya often stays overnight here, so she left some spare clothes."

It's just a plain white bra, but I don't want to wear it. If possible, could you please give me a sports bra and boxer shorts, preferably in a darker color?

"Come on, hurry up and put it on. It's not good to stay naked all the time."

Now that you mention it, I realize I've been writing naked the whole time...

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

With only that one outfit, Sakura's eyes gleaming with a strange light, and me, completely naked, faced with this situation, it seemed I had only one choice, and—

I don't want to refuse Sakura's request.

I don't know why either, but I don't want to refuse any of her requests.

What kind of karmic connection exists between us?

"Ouch~~ Ouch!!!?"

Amnesia!?

Can Servants also suffer from amnesia?

Time: Noon on a certain day, the exact date is unknown.

Location: Matou Residence.

Characters: El-Melloi, Kariya Matou -- I know the names of both of them, but I have no memory of knowing or spending time with them, Sakura, and myself.

Incidentally, Sakura was alright, but the other two looked visibly off after seeing me, and I can confirm that "I'm wearing a dress" surprised them more than "I'm here."

I just told them about my situation. Although Sakura felt disappointed, she didn't doubt me. But the eyes of those two middle-aged men betrayed them. They were probably thinking something like, "Hahaha, you're definitely trying to fool us. This is another nasty joke. I'm not falling for it."

--So, what exactly did I do in the past to deserve such a low level of credibility?

However, on the surface, everyone acted very serious, discussing the reasons and solutions together.

"Speaking of Caster... he's Archer now, but never mind, I'll just call you Caster," El-Melloi, with his long hair, said to me. "I used Magecraft to check on you; are you aware of your current situation?"

"..." She quietly shook her head.

"Then I'll be blunt: you are not a Servant."

Well, I don't even know what a Servant is, so whatever. Sakura, on the other hand, was quite surprised after hearing that.

"As everyone knows," I obviously didn't know, but I'll still listen to him quietly, "the Heroic Spirit himself cannot be summoned or commanded by anything other than the Counter Force. Even the Holy Grail can only summon a clone that possesses a portion of his power and personality."

Oh, so what? I'm not some clone of another being? So what?

"You are the Heroic Spirit yourself!"

"Nani!"*2

Yanye and Sakura both looked at me like I was a rare animal, making me a little uncomfortable—it seemed that "I" wasn't someone who was used to being exposed to other people's gaze—yet I still couldn't understand the meaning of all this.

Heroic Spirit, that sounds pretty impressive. Does it mean the soul of a hero? Does that mean I was once a hero? Are you kidding me? I'm hardly a great person, am I?

"But Uncle Weber," Sakura asked El-Melloi first, "If it's the Heroic Spirit herself, my magical power simply can't maintain her presence in this world! And her abilities aren't much different from a Servant's, are they?"

"That's because she herself is a very weak Heroic Spirit," El-Melloi made another astonishing statement—not to me, but to the other two.

"Weak! Back then, she was able to summon the Holy Grail all by herself and seal away the All the World's Evil. Is that considered weak?"

Sakura, I'm really grateful that you spoke up for me, but it's okay. I'm just a weak and useless guy—hmm? Why do I think that?

"That's probably an ability granted to her by the Counter Force. Otherwise, think about it, even with the strength of Heroic Spirit, she's no match for a Servant. Even if Archer is exceptionally powerful, she'd still be at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight against Lancer."

What's going on here? Isn't Archer me? And who is Lancer? Hearing that name makes me feel so sad, like all the misfortunes in the world have come together.

"In other words, her strength as Heroic Spirit is quite weak, which is why the Counter Force sent her to eliminate the All the World's Evil back then—because it wouldn't be a big loss if she were lost."

You're talking about me, aren't you? Is it really okay to say that to my face? But even though I was said some really hurtful things, I can't bring myself to get angry.

Hahahaha!

Sakura, who was standing next to him, suddenly burst into laughter, completely changing her previous image of being soft and gentle.

"So, the one summoned this time is the same person as the one from ten years ago?"

El-Melloi seemed startled, but quickly replied, "That's right, it's not another clone."

"That's enough!" Sakura turned to me after receiving an affirmative answer, and I seemed to see tears in her eyes. "As long as it's still her, it doesn't matter whether she remembers or not!"

Sakura gripped my hand tightly.

"And you haven't completely forgotten, have you? You called out my name at the beginning!"

It seems that this is indeed the case. My amnesia seems to be directed at myself. Although I have forgotten other things as well, I can immediately remember what they are as long as I can see them—although I only know the nouns and not their meanings.

"If you want to forget the past, let's create new memories together, okay?"

The girl in front of me said this.

Not knowing who you are, not knowing what you did in the past, and having only four or five hours of memories—anyone would feel terrified, right? I feel the same way, but being with this girl named Sakura makes me feel safe.

The emotions she expressed during our first meeting—at least for now—were undoubtedly the most genuine. Even if the person she was talking to wasn't actually "me now," but rather "me" from her memories, I was still healed by those emotions.

And now, I'm also drawn to her eyes.

I want to stay by her side...

I want to do something for her...

I can't tell if this is my current thought or the influence of fragments of past memories, but in any case, I can't refuse her.

"Okay, sure."

Upon hearing my answer, Sakura's smile was truly the most beautiful thing.

---------Author's Note--------------------------

Well, this epilogue will probably be about the Fifth Holy Grail War that's been ruined. There's no outline or main storyline; I'll just write whatever comes to mind, and updates will remain irregular.

My current idea is to use some K-drama references to soften Ji Jizi, and then let Ying win her over.

If you feel Sakura's personality is off, here's my explanation: This girl is inherently a yandere, and after spending so many years hanging out with Irisviel, Illya, and Chloe, she naturally got corrupted. Also, Sakura's hair is definitely black; the purple color only changed after Zouken messed with it, so this is naturally her original appearance.

There might be a few minor spoilers for A Route, but nobody's going to bother looking for them, so... I'm just mentioning it casually.

The plot will likely take a comedic turn, similar to Carnival Phantasm. I'll also take this opportunity to flesh out Jizi's character, making her a little more well-rounded—not in the conventional sense. Long live rare resources!

Having lost her memory, Jizi's personality tends to resemble the initially established image of a NEET—someone who lost her beloved mother, was bullied by her stepmother, and then used the internet to numb herself... Although she uses sarcastic remarks as a cover, she is actually very insecure and introverted; the confidence she displays in the main text is all a facade.

--That's roughly how it feels. Our psychology course teacher said that excessive self-confidence is actually extreme inferiority... I'm applying what I've learned, although I don't know if I can write down that feeling well...

That's all for now, see you next time.