Shinji: Good Morning, Kids' Show! (Continued)

Poor Hundred Faces is miserable in every version of Fuyuki City. Despite having a numerical advantage that is different from other Servants, she can never make good use of it.

During Fate/Zero, the Hundred Faces, relying on their numerical advantage, planned to launch a surprise attack on the King of Conquerors's Master.

As it turned out, the other side was even more overpowered than him, and had more players than this schizophrenic guy Hundred Faces himself.

And then... that was it.

Facing an unparalleled army that once traversed three continents—Asia, Europe, and Africa— Hundred Faces's provocative behavior is truly like inserting a straw into a toilet—sucking on shit (courting death)!

This time, Hundred Faces also tried to cheat by taking advantage of its numerical superiority.

In fact, Hundred Faces's group tactics always consist of only one thing: relying on numerical superiority to concentrate attacks on the weakest member of the enemy.

The tactic itself is not problematic. Given Hundred Faces's numerical advantage, it is very difficult for Hundred Faces's opponents to protect their teammates.

It's not a question of how many Hundred Faces he can stop; even if he misses one, Hundred Faces, with his skillful killing techniques, would be more than capable of taking down the weaker members of their team.

This tactic is boring, but very effective.

As long as Hundred Faces is willing to sacrifice her clone, she can achieve victory.

However, this kind of shameless tactic is not invincible. It is also very simple to break the deadlock: either gain a greater numerical advantage than the Hundred Faces like the Great Emperor, or wipe out all the Hundred Faces in one blow!

In <Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya>, Illya chose the latter to break the deadlock.

Faced with mortal danger, Illya decisively switched on the switch again, releasing the other [her] from within her.

The immense magical power was released with overwhelming force, and the "waves" composed of magical power engulfed everything around them, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.

On that day, Illya became light.

Oops, it was Illya unleashed powerful magic and blasted away all the Assassins.

This should have been a good thing, but Illya, who had accomplished all of this, was terrified by herself.

When Illya defeated Saber earlier, Illya unconscious and didn't know what had happened.

This time, after wiping out all the Assassins in one go, Illya, because she remained conscious throughout, knew what she had done.

Then, Illya chose to run away.

Like other children who have done something wrong, Illya ran home and hid as fast as she could.

It's understandable, really. It's already unbelievable that an "ordinary" and "normal" JS would suddenly become Magical Girl one day.

This could be explained by the fact that the lewd beast (Ruby) had taken a liking to JS and didn't like JK, but this sudden, unexpected magic left Illya feeling lost and confused.

Most people have wondered if they possess extraordinary powers, if they are beings beyond ordinary people.

But when one is truly able to demonstrate power far exceeding that of ordinary people, anyone with normal values and a bottom line will only feel confused.

This denial of self-identity is not so easy to overcome.

Even in the latest episode, when Illya went to school with her backpack, this cheerful little girl, who loved to laugh, had a worried look on her face.

Even when saying goodbye to Sella before leaving home, Illya forced a smile, making viewers feel her inner turmoil even through the screen.

Illya's gloomy expression almost made viewers think that the person in front of the camera was Miyu, who almost never smiled.

As if to reflect Illya's conflicted inner world, the weather is overcast all day in the story, and the cloudy daytime makes people feel depressed just by looking at it.

Illya didn't speak to anyone else all day, except for quiet conversations with Ruby the Ruby.

Just as Miyu, Illya's body didn't suffer any problems from releasing such a huge amount of magic; her real injury was to her heart.

A denial of self, a fear of the power she possesses, and a reflection on the identity she yearns for as Magical Girl.

Through constant self-questioning, Illya lost her longing for Magical Girl status. Instead, she became resistant and afraid of the profession because of its bloody connotations, even telling Ruby, "I don't want to keep collecting cards anymore."

Finally, after agonizing over it for a whole day, Illya submitted her resignation to Tohsaka Rin.

"Mmm... poor... mmm... little girl, it breaks my heart to see her like this."

Seeing Aoko chewing on a cookie while making comments, Azu frowned in disgust.

"Could you please not talk while you're eating? Food crumbs are flying all over me."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Despite apologizing, the carefree Aoko didn't become more cautious and continued to chew on the biscuits with gusto.

Azu sighed helplessly, "How many times have I told you? Since you're watching the premiere on Saturday morning, you need to get up early and eat breakfast. Eating while watching TV every time is bad for your stomach!"

Aoko paused, her hand still busy putting cookies into her mouth, and muttered under her breath, "What a nagging old woman..."

"What did you say?"

"Ah... I mean, it's quite surprising that Tohsaka Rin would pay such close attention to Illya."

Aoko pointed awkwardly at the television and said, "Could it be that the owner is just like a dog? Because she's Archer's Master, she's become like a nanny?"

Azu shook her head slightly. Of course, she could tell that Aoko was being insincere, but she was too lazy to delve into it.

"Isn't Tohsaka Rin always the typical example of someone with a sharp tongue but a soft heart? In Matou-sensei's words, she's called... tsundere?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Azu noticed that Aoko was looking at her with a very strange expression.

"What's wrong?"

Aoko tapped her chin and said, "It's nothing, I just think you Azu a bit like Tohsaka Rin."

How could they not be similar? Azu and Rin are characters created by Nasu based on the common template for second female leads.

But Azu herself certainly doesn't think so.

Who is she? The heir to the noble Kuzunoha family.

And Tohsaka Rin? She's not even considered a local tycoon.

"How could I possibly be compared to that country bumpkin who only got a role in a movie because of her childhood relationship with the Director, and then became a world-famous Mage Families thanks to the movie's popularity?"

Aoko was forced to back away from Azu's powerful aura.

"Okay... a deep resentment. Azu, you're actually jealous, aren't you?"

Azu flatly refused to answer the question, glancing up at the clock with displeasure.

"Shibamatsu is too slow! Did he not buy the magic wand?"

"There's nothing we can do," Aoko comforted her. "The toy store isn't open yet, so just bear with it."

"Tsk, he's clearly Magecraft, why didn't he give the shop owner a hint to just take the goods!"

"Hey! Who said we had to follow the rules?"

At the same time.

Achoo...

On a street in Akiha, Shibamatsu, who was waiting in line for the toy store to open, suddenly sneezed loudly.

Why do I suddenly feel so resentful after being criticized?

"Ugh, I really want to watch the premiere of <Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya>~ I wish my phone could watch TV."

While browsing the 2ch website on his phone, Shibamatsu looked up at the sky and sighed.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

"Poor little Illya."

Ryougi Shiki took notes while commenting on the plot.

"She wouldn't really give up being Magical Girl, would she?"

On the screen, Tohsaka Rin accepted Illya's resignation and said that there was only one card left to be recycled, and Miyu was enough; it didn't matter whether Illya came or not.

After all, judging from the current results, Miyu's consistent performance is far more reliable than Illya's ability to recycle cards, which requires a burst of power.

"How could that be? The protagonist leaves the team, the group suffers a setback, and then the protagonist appears as a savior. You can't have guessed this old-fashioned plot, can you?"

Shinji patted Ryougi Shiki on the shoulder, signaling her to focus and not get distracted by the plot.

"Stop thinking about the plot and focus on Illya's performance! Watch how she portrays a character who is lost and confused about her goals."

[Tsk, you think I couldn't guess? Isn't this just to create interaction with you?]

Realizing she had flattered Shinji in the wrong Ryougi Shiki, Shinji look. Seeing that he was still staring at the TV screen with his arms crossed, she could only reluctantly turn her attention back to the TV screen.

Compared to the pitiful Ryougi Shiki, the members who were holding an appreciation event in Fuyuki City were much more relaxed.

With no targets, no assignments, and no leadership oversight, the few people at Type-Moon Company were having a blast.

Dun dun dun~

"Ha..."

After finishing a can of beer, Cú Chulainn exhaled a long breath of beer.

"As expected, life without Master is so easy and enjoyable!"

Back in Venice, Cú Chulainn was under Shinji's very watchful eye.

To ensure that his public image was flawless and perfectly suited to the tastes of older men and women before he won the Best Actor award, Shinji stopped all of Cú Chulainn's favorite entertainment activities.

Forget about going to bars at night, you're not even allowed to go fishing during the day.

To paraphrase Shinji, at such a crucial moment in film award judging, how could you possibly be fishing?!

"Damn Master, I finally got to go to a glamorous place like Venice, but my days here are as boring as an ascetic's. It's really... I wasn't this bored even when I was learning from that old woman!"

"That old woman? Which one?"

Hearing Cú Chulainn's complaint, Illya moved closer, her red eyes fixed on the Big Doggy, and asked with great interest.

"Um... he's my teacher."

Cú Chulainn pondered for a moment before explaining, "It's an old woman who's particularly strict with me, tries to control everything, and always thinks I'm not good enough."

Illya tilted her head. "You sound like you really dislike her?"

Cú Chulainn chuckled wryly and scratched his head. "No, she was my mentor after all. I still respect her, provided she doesn't drag me out to get beaten up again under the guise of education."

"This relationship sounds so familiar. It feels very close to me... yet it often feels troublesome... I always feel like there's someone like this in my life too... But who is it?"

After a moment of thought, a light bulb suddenly shone brightly above Illya's head.

Then she clenched her fist, tapped it lightly in her palm, and gave a silly, surprised laugh, saying, "Oh, is that so! It's Mommy~~"

Cú Chulainn nodded in agreement. "Indeed, she's like a mother! That woman really does have that 'mother's' feel to her."

"Hey~~ Illya -chan~~ So, in your eyes, Mom is a very troublesome person?"

Suddenly, a naive and sweet voice rang out behind the two of them.

"Hmm..."

Illya's face turned deathly pale instantly, not much different from her reflection on the television.

Smack

A white hand rested on Illya's shoulder.

With cold sweat trickling down her temples, Illya slowly turned around and immediately saw Irisviel's gentle and cheerful smiling face.

"Mother..."

The little girl's supple body instantly stiffened, and her stammering voice sounded like a broken robot.

"Hmm? What's wrong with Mom?"

Irisviel continued to smile, her eyes narrowed; she was even a little curious about how Illya would explain herself.

"Mom... Mom... Mommy~~"

Illya called out to Irisviel in a fawning tone and hugged her tightly.

"Mommy, I miss you so much!"

With her survival instincts kicking in, Illya buried her face in Irisviel's broad chest, a sight that made Mordred, standing behind her, visibly jealous.

It wasn't that Mordred wanted to be close to Irisviel; she simply envied Illya's intimate interactions with her elders.

"If only I could be like my father..."

"Mordred, could you please bring me a sandwich?"

"Coming~Father~??"