Chapter 579

Upon hearing her master's words, Sella quickly shook her head in denial. "How could such a thing be..."

"That's it. Lift your head, Sella. You've done a great job, and so has Liz."

"Young Miss..."

"Illya..."

"Waaaaah... Illya, you've grown up and become so sensible... Mommy is so proud of you...!"

Irisviel, witnessing this scene at the Einzbern Family, shed tears of emotion.

The decisive battle has finally arrived.

"Homonculus Representative Team" vs. "team 172"

Two teams that were considered favorites before the match met.

"Hey, Rider."

Rin Tohsaka walked up to Rider with a sinister smile.

"What's wrong, Rin? The match is about to start, and I'd like to avoid this kind of conversation as much as possible."

Rin's smile grew increasingly wicked.

"Don't say that, Rider. You don't want to hurt that child, do you?"

"Varied...!"

Rider's eyes widened as he looked towards the volleyball court.

Sakura Matou stood beside Shirou, chatting happily.

Seeing the girl's happy smile, Rider felt incredibly warm.

The red demon named Rin Tohsaka continued whispering in my ear:

"For that child, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight alongside his favorite senior..."

How heartbreaking it would be to lose like this!

"Gurgle...!"

Rider's face turned ugly. "That's despicable... Rin, I never thought you were this kind of person!"

Rin Tohsaka remained unfazed by the rebuke and brushed her black hair aside.

"Hmph, I'm betting everything on this too. I'll win even if it means getting my hands dirty."

Rider was stunned. "You actually... would go to such lengths to get Shirou?"

"Yes, yes, I would do anything to get Amamiya... No, that's not true!"

The girl with pigtails blushed.

"I wanted to create wonderful summer memories with that child, which is why I was willing to trample on my principles."

As for Amamiya- san having exclusive access to the prize... that's just a bonus, a bonus, you understand?

I don't have any particular... feelings for Amamiya... um."

As she finished speaking, her voice grew softer and softer, and her face grew hotter and hotter.

"I refuse. I won't hold back in the next match."

Rider said in a cold, resolute tone.

Hearing her say that, Rin Tohsaka narrowed her eyes.

Rider continued, "If I don't give it my all here, I won't be able to face Shirou and Sakura later."

So... in the upcoming finals, I will seriously and wholeheartedly defeat you.

Let me give you some advice, Rin... don't underestimate your little sister.

Sakura didn't want to win this way.

Rather than cheating, she wanted to win fairly with her beloved older sister and senior.

"..."

Rin Tohsaka paused for a moment, then regained her composure.

"I see, Rider... You've been protecting Sakura even more diligently than I imagined."

"Of course, I don't think my desire to protect Sakura is any less than yours or Shirou's."

As he said this, a competitive fire ignited in Rider's eyes.

"Hmph, so this is a pre-battle provocation that needs a proper response."

Rin Tohsaka's expression turned serious.

"This is a trial, Rider--"

Prove to me that you deserve to stay with that child.

After saying that, Rin Tohsaka waved goodbye to her with a flourish and returned to Shirou and Sakura's side.

"Yes, I will prove it."

Rider stared at the black-haired girl's retreating figure.

I will prove my determination, and

I've also taken over Shirou, Rin.

The goddess by the water curled her alluring lips into a smile.

With Karen's whistle, the final match officially began.

Rider and Bazett were indeed as strong as Shirou had predicted.

Even if one of them is missing, their combined athletic abilities are more than enough to make up for it.

However, after the first match, Shirou and Rin Tohsaka's teamwork became increasingly seamless.

In addition, Sakura Matou's growth rate is also astonishing.

She was hesitant and timid in the first match, but perhaps she gained confidence and gradually became able to keep up with the pace of the game.

In situations like these, the advantage of having a large number of people becomes apparent.

No matter how long Rider and Bazett's limbs are, how good their jumping ability is, or how fast they are, there will still be gaps that cannot be filled due to a lack of players.

That's right, Shirou and his friends fight not with their bodies, but with their brains.

Use your numerical advantage to slowly wear down the opponent's strength, and seize the opportunity to counterattack the moment they show a weakness.

The two sides traded blows, creating a heated battle that quickly brought the score to 1-1.

And so, the final decisive game began—

14:14

The two teams have reached match point.

"Let's decide the winner with this ball!"

I won't let you succeed!

Bazett received Rin's spike and reacted to the high-bouncing volleyball.

"Rider!"

"Leave it to me!"

She delivered a perfect set to the rider, who leaped high into the air and prepared to smash.

"Don't even think about it!"

Shirou makes a cross block, but Rider avoids his position and smashes the ball straight ahead.

"Cherry!"

"Yes, yes!"

Sakura Matou rushed forward to cover, but stopped abruptly just before she could touch the ball.

"Bang!"

Sakura Matou watched as the volleyball crashed heavily onto the beach.

Shirou and Rin silently looked at the ground.

Did we lose?

No, this is...

"Out of bounds."

Karen announced, "15:14, the Hohyunohara Academy Representative Team has won."

"Yay!"

"That's great, Sakura!"

Rin Tohsaka tackled her younger sister to the ground on the beach.

Sakura Matou was a little flustered at first, but she immediately hugged her older sister back.

Shirou also went over to celebrate.

"Well done, Sakura."

"Yes... senior!"

Sakura Matou smiled.

The three shared the joy of victory, while Bazett and Rider, on the other hand, were...

"We lost."

"We lost."

"Phew... I'm so unwilling to accept this."

"Although I'm unwilling, there's nothing I can do."

Bazett and Rider sat on the beach, staring blankly at the ceiling of the indoor water park.

"Well, I've done my best, isn't that good enough?"

Karen walked over to the two of them and handed them chilled drinks.

After the beach volleyball game, everyone returned to the rest area.

Shirou, Rin, and Sakura discussed the "prize" matter.

Since it was Shirou's team that received the prize called "his own," this could no longer be considered an award ceremony, but rather a victory celebration.

"So, how about the three of us go on a date sometime when we have time?" Shirou suggested.

"Okay, when?"

Rin Tohsaka readily agreed.

She had previously arranged to have a date and dinner with Shirou at her home, but they couldn't make it happen because she had a fever.

After that, the two of them didn't have much time to go out and have fun.

Let's take this opportunity to make up for our previous regrets.

Rin tilted her head and said, "Right, let's go to Shinto. I have a lot of things I want to buy."

"A threesome with my senior and my older sister...!?!?"

Beside her, Sakura Matou's mind went blank, and she had a dazed expression on her face.

The girl asked hesitantly, "Um... Sister, is this really okay?"

"What's wrong, Sakura... don't you want to?"

Rin Tohsaka chuckled mischievously.