I, Matou Sakura, Third of the Flame-Chasers!

Although she did not understand why that lady had suddenly changed her mind, the work would ultimately be reduced by a great deal—perhaps she would not have to do anything at all. That way, she could calmly study the light within her body.

"Then are we still going to that place?"

"Of course not."

Aozaki Touko waved a hand and stubbed out the lady's cigarette before she had even smoked half of it.

"Let's go home and sleep. We can talk about anything else after we wake up."

With that, Aozaki Touko headed toward the Kuzuki Residence, a relaxed smile on her face.

Kuzuki Alice said nothing and silently followed after her.

That lady was quite willful too.

Within the sun, Matou Sakura withdrew her gaze and glanced at the system. There were forty-two lottery draws in total.

There were also two Advanced Lottery draws.

They had been provided by the sisters Arcueid and Altrouge.

She had found Altrouge somewhere in Britain. She had been alone, so Sakura had directly killed her once.

Altrouge had not died. As a body created by Crimson Moon, even if she was merely a spare, her regenerative ability was no weaker than Arcueid's.

As for her two knights, nothing had happened to them. They were not part of her mission, so she had not even spared them a glance.

After considering the two Advanced Lottery draws and forty-two ordinary draws for a while, she decided to save them.

Her current strength was already sufficient. She did not particularly need more abilities, so keeping them in reserve was a good choice.

She could save up the Advanced Lottery draws and wait until she had ten.

Her physical tempering was complete, and today's training time had come to an end.

She then left the sun's outer layer and returned to Earth.

At that moment, the world was gripped by immense fear because of her earlier unrestrained actions on the sun.

Especially where Arcueid had died: the sphere of light left behind after the destruction of her body had formed a massive barrier, enveloping the entire nearby city. In an instant, the city's scenery had transformed into the lingering image of Arcueid's inner world.

If no one broke the barrier, everyone inside would die and become energy for Arcueid to restore her body.

Five days later.

The turmoil had already subsided. The intervention of Alaya and the magi had brought the global fear created by Matou Sakura to an early end.

Meanwhile, the girl at the center of it all was drinking tea that her girlfriend had suddenly decided to brew on a whim.

It tasted terrible, but it was drinkable. For her, that was enough.

"How does it taste?"

Aozaki Akiko looked eagerly at Matou Sakura before her, hoping to receive a good review from her.

Although it was her first time brewing tea herself rather than drinking the black tea Alice had prepared, she was very confident.

As the saying went, even if you had never seen a pig run, had you not at least eaten pork?

She had watched Alice brew tea so many times. Although Alice brewed black tea while she was making green tea, it could not be that different. The methods were more or less the same, so it should have turned out quite well.

Looking at the expectant gaze of her girlfriend, Matou Sakura did not hesitate to give her evaluation.

"It's drinkable."

"Just drinkable?"

Aozaki Akiko was somewhat unwilling to accept it. Was the tea she had brewed really only drinkable?!

Pernor rolled her eyes beside them.

Idiot Akiko, have some self-awareness.

She had drunk the tea brewed by this idiot too. She had given an evaluation similar to My dear Sister's, except hers had two extra words.

From drinkable to barely drinkable.

Even plain hot water tasted better than the tea this idiot had brewed.

"Yes, just drinkable."

Matou Sakura answered honestly, then added another sentence.

"Brewing tea doesn't suit Akiko. Akiko, you could try making milk tea."

"Milk tea?"

Aozaki Akiko blinked. Thinking about it carefully, that did seem pretty good. She liked milk tea herself, and there was even a shop she liked in Misaki City.

Unfortunately, the owner had died in that earthquake, and it had been caused by her girlfriend.

She suddenly felt a little guilty.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Aozaki Akiko came back to her senses and smiled slightly. "I'll go try it right now!"

With that, Aozaki Touko ran toward the kitchen, while Zhou Lailu Jia, standing nearby, immediately changed expression and hurried after her.

Leaving Akiko alone in the kitchen was far too dangerous!

One careless mistake, and the entire kitchen might be gone!

Seeing Aozaki Akiko leave, Pernor immediately ran into My dear Sister's arms.

With that idiot around, she could never properly enjoy My dear Sister's embrace.

But now, she finally could.

"My dear Sister is about to leave, isn't she?"

Pernor suddenly said, her pink eyes reflecting Matou Sakura at that moment.

"Mm."

Matou Sakura nodded lightly. "Once I obtain the Third Magic, I'll leave. Afterward, I'll talk to Akiko about it."

"I see."

That idiot wasn't her, so she couldn't follow My dear Sister to another world. But she could, which meant that without that idiot Akiko around, the time for her to be alone with My dear Sister was about to come!

Although she had said before that she did not care, she still cared a little now.

Looking back, helping that idiot had been nothing but lifting a rock to smash her own foot. She regretted it terribly.

"Does Pernor hate Akiko?"

The girl suddenly asked, looking seriously into her eyes.

"Huh?"

The sudden question truly caught Pernor off guard.

Did she hate Akiko?

Strictly speaking, no. After all, she was just an idiot, and not an idiot like Jeanne.

So there was naturally no such thing as hatred. At most, it was just some minor resentment.

But why had My dear Sister suddenly asked such a question?

Could it be that My dear Sister was getting tired of Akiko?

"My dear Sister, could it be that you..."

Pernor paused, then continued, "My dear Sister, have you already gotten a little tired of Akiko?"

The girl looked at the sister in her arms in silence for a long time, then slowly shook her head.

Hate?

Not at all.

It was just that over these past few days, she had suddenly realized something.

That was, as Akiko's Girlfriend, she could abandon her very easily, without the slightest hesitation.

Destruction was simpler than salvation.

Matou Sakura understood this deeply.

She could easily destroy a city, twisting that vast city into a pile of dust.

And she could also resurrect all those dead humans, at the cost of an enormous amount of energy.

Even higher beings were the same.

And for her, abandoning someone was far simpler than falling in love with someone.

She should have understood long ago that what she felt for Akiko was not love at all, but merely an act called freeloading, rooted in human instinct.

To be loved and to love someone were small and humble things.

Akiko loved her, but she held no such love for Akiko.

Everything before had merely been how she acted as Akiko's Girlfriend.

Or rather, it had been the key Pernor had opened for her.

Looking into My dear Sister's eyes, Pernor understood something, and her feelings became complicated.

"So My dear Sister is going to break up with Akiko?"

"No."

She shook her head. She would not do such a thing, unless Akiko was the one who proposed breaking up.

She did not particularly dislike being Akiko's Girlfriend.

But was that possible?

The answer was not unclear.

"It's like this now."

She stroked Pernor's soft hair and gently kissed her fair cheek.

Matou Sakura's calm tone changed at that moment.

It was so gentle, as if it could embrace everything.

"I won't abandon Pernor."

The child in her arms was different. She would remain by her side forever.

Two days later, Fuyuki City.

The world was now in turmoil.

Although Alaya and Gaia had suppressed the global panic Matou Sakura had caused earlier, and even the Mage's Association had offered assistance, an incident affecting the entire world could never be handled down to every last detail. Something was bound to go wrong somewhere.

Major earthquakes, abnormal incidents, and one event after another had left the people of Japan—a nation that had endured every kind of disaster—in a constant state of mental tension.

Few people walked the streets, and their eyes all carried the same emotion: fear.

Matou Sakura walked slowly down the street. The passersby could not notice her existence, while Pernor beside her curiously surveyed this lifeless city.

Though it gave off an oppressive air, she did not dislike it.

Then Matou Sakura took Pernor into a convenience store. Their target was here.

Without wasting words, she simply knocked him out.

Uryuu Ryunosuke, a future participant in the Holy Grail War, fell unconscious at once.