Beginning

Chen Tian stumbled as she tugged him along, so he could only helplessly raise a hand and adjust the baseball cap on his head. She had his other hand clamped tightly in hers.

He glanced at the side of his girlfriend's face, which practically screamed looking for trouble, and resigned himself to being dragged away. He silently prayed she wouldn't scare Tohsaka Rin unconscious later.

With his free hand, he discreetly patted her back, applying a soothing pressure, while obediently matching her pace. The two of them quickly merged into the crowd outside the station.

Kitagawa dragged him with clear purpose toward a secluded alley behind the station, urging him on in a hushed voice. "Quick, quick, quick!"

The alley was quiet and deserted.

Kitagawa came to an abrupt stop and turned to face Chen Tian. Her eyes sparkled, and her face was filled with the excitement of let's get started already.

Seeing her like this, Chen Tian sighed helplessly and vigorously ruffled her hair.

"Mm!" Kitagawa immediately puffed out her cheeks in protest.

Just as she pursed her lips to complain, Chen Tian flipped his wrist. A flash of dark-blue light appeared, and the Enma Sword materialized in his hand.

Without any unnecessary movement, he swept his arm smoothly through the air beside them, the blade tracing a cross.

"Riiip—"

Like cloth being torn apart, a cross-shaped rift shimmering with dark-blue light appeared out of nowhere. Space was forcibly split open, revealing an entrance to a bizarre, color-distorted passage beyond.

"Wow!" Kitagawa's mouth instantly formed an O. Her slight dissatisfaction vanished without a trace, and the light in her eyes nearly spilled out as she exclaimed in admiration, "It's not my first time seeing it, but it's still so cool!"

Chen Tian glanced at her without saying anything. His left arm naturally slipped around her slender yet energetic waist and held her tightly.

"Stand steady," he murmured. Without the slightest hesitation, he held Kitagawa close and stepped into the dark-blue Cross Rift.

Their figures were instantly swallowed by the leaping lights and shadows. The alley was left with only the Cross Rift flickering faintly before it quietly sealed itself as if it had never existed, leaving behind nothing but the empty alley and the gently blowing wind.

Fuyuki City, downtown.

A man wearing a long black coat with a priest's collar showing beneath it stood quietly on the sidewalk.

Beside him stood Gilgamesh, dressed in a well-tailored modern suit yet exuding an extraordinary nobility.

Kotomine Kirei's gaze rested on a huge billboard across the street. The poster had a pitch-black background, with several blood-red characters standing out sharply:

?Devil May Cry?

Beneath them was a line of small white text:

'The highly popular star's once-in-a-century fiery youth concert in Japan is coming soon!'

At the very bottom were the time and location:

"Two days from now! Civic Gymnasium! Grand opening!"

Gilgamesh followed his gaze. A trace of amused contempt appeared on his handsome face as he clicked his tongue. "Hmph. The war is about to begin, yet this city still has the leisure to hold some celebrity concert? They truly have a death wish."

His red eyes were filled with condescending mockery, as though he were watching a group of ants dancing atop a volcano.

Kotomine Kirei did not respond. He merely stared silently at the flamboyant title on the poster—"Devil May Cry"—his deep-set eyes revealing nothing.

"Archer, Rin will be returning soon. Don't cause any trouble." Kotomine Kirei's low voice rang out as his gaze shifted from the poster to the golden Heroic Spirit beside him. "Our objective remains the Holy Grail."

Gilgamesh impatiently scratched at his dazzling blond hair, his red eyes full of annoyance. "Tch, I know, I know. You're so tiresome." He was clearly uninterested in the order to "keep a low profile."

Kotomine Kirei said nothing more. He merely cast one last glance at the enormous concert poster bearing the words "Devil May Cry."

The poster's scarlet lettering looked somewhat harsh beneath Fuyuki's gloomy sky.

He silently turned around. The hem of his black coat lifted slightly as his figure soon blended into the flow of pedestrians.

Gilgamesh shoved both hands into his slacks pockets and watched in the direction his Master had disappeared. With a scoff, he too sauntered away, leisurely and arrogantly, utterly out of place amid the tense atmosphere that was about to descend upon the city.

Several streets away, Emiya Shirou stopped walking.

He was looking up at the same huge concert poster hanging on the station's outer wall. The words "Devil May Cry" danced like flames.

He frowned slightly and muttered, "Nero? Of all times, she's coming to Fuyuki for a concert now?"

For some reason, a faint unease rose in his heart. Frowning, he subconsciously pulled out his phone and glanced at it. The screen displayed the time and date. The Holy Grail War was indeed very close to truly beginning.

Chapter 34: Beginning

The evening sky over Fuyuki City was as gloomy as a rag soaked through with ink.

There was no golden-red sunset, only oppressive leaden gray pressing down heavily and shrouding the entire city in a damp, chilly darkness.

The air seemed to carry faint traces of magecraft fluctuations, making the November wind feel as though it could burrow straight into one's bones.

Tohsaka Rin pulled her suitcase out of the bullet-train station. The biting air rushing toward her made her instinctively pull her beige trench coat tighter around herself.

The station plaza was crowded with hurried pedestrians, yet they could not dispel the lingering chill that permeated the city.

She tightened her scarf and swept her icy-blue eyes ahead, her brows habitually knitting together.

Her gaze landed not far from the station exit.

A familiar figure stood there in silence.

He wore the same unchanging long black coat, a priest's collar showing beneath it. His tall, solemn figure stood out sharply against the gloomy backdrop.

Unlike Fuyuki's overcast sky, his face wore a smile that could almost be called "gentle." It was like a carefully carved mask, flawless yet utterly devoid of warmth.

He stood there as if he had been waiting specifically for her.

Rin's footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.

"Rin." Kotomine Kirei spoke, his voice low and even, with a tone that seemed capable of soothing the heart. "Welcome back."

Rin walked forward and stopped a few steps away from him.

Maintaining the composure expected of the heir to the Tohsaka Family, she gave a slight nod. "Father Kirei."

Her tone was calm, polite, and distant.

Their relationship was limited to the fact that he had once been her father's disciple and was a member of the clergy. Nothing more. There was no guardianship, much less any bond between teacher and student.

(This was revised slightly so that Kitagawa could more easily obtain the status of guardian.)

"Traveling must have been tiring." Kotomine Kirei's gaze lingered on her face for a moment. His deep eyes seemed capable of seeing through the human heart. "The weather in Fuyuki isn't very good. It seems the influence of the approaching Holy Grail is becoming increasingly apparent."

"Mm." Rin gave a brief reply without adding anything.

She had no need for him to remind her that the Holy Grail War was about to begin. "Is the church's work going smoothly?" she asked casually, purely out of social courtesy.

"Thanks to the Lord, everything is as usual." Kotomine Kirei's smile did not waver. "However, this 'usual' will probably be broken soon. The Tohsaka Family's magecraft workshop must already be prepared, I presume?"

His words were calm, yet they were like an invisible needle.

He was probing the state of her preparations.

Rin's gaze instantly sharpened. Her icy-blue eyes met that seemingly gentle face directly. "There's no need for you to worry, Father. The Tohsaka Family has made its own preparations."

A trace of hardness entered her tone.

Kotomine Kirei seemed entirely unsurprised by her reaction. Instead, the curve of his lips deepened slightly, as though he had seen something interesting. "That's good."

He paused. His gaze seemed to sweep across the station exit behind Rin before returning to her. "It's good that you arrived safely. Fuyuki isn't very peaceful right now, Miss Rin. Please be careful."

"Thank you for the warning. I will." Rin nodded slightly and said no more. "Excuse me. I'll head home first."

"Of course." Kotomine Kirei remained where he was, smiling as he watched her turn and walk away with her suitcase.

Rin's figure quickly blended into the crowd outside the station. Only after she disappeared around the corner did the smile that seemed welded onto Kotomine Kirei's face slowly fade, leaving behind a tranquil, expressionless countenance.

He turned and silently merged into the gray evening crowd.

Fuyuki Grand Hotel, top-floor Presidential Suite.

The hotel manager bent at the waist, his face piled high with an ingratiating smile as he carefully pushed open the door. "Mr. Chen, Miss Kitagawa, this is our finest suite. If there's anything you need, just let us know..."

Before he could finish, a golden figure had already darted past him.

"Wow! What a huge room!" Kitagawa Marin chirped like a happy little bird as she hopped into the living room, her short skirt fluttering with each movement. She suddenly stopped, her eyes lighting up. "Sister Yayoi!"

On the sofa, Tatsuzuka Yayoi was looking down at some documents, her long hair falling over her shoulders.

She held a phone in her left hand and was still on a call. "Yes, the stage effects need to be adjusted again, especially the fire effects..."

When she was suddenly hugged, her body stiffened. Then she caught the familiar scent of shampoo. Looking down to see that golden head rubbing back and forth against her chest, she sighed helplessly. "Marin, why did you get here so early?"

After hanging up, she rubbed Kitagawa's hair and looked toward the doorway.

Chen Tian stood there with both hands in his pockets. He swept his gaze around the room, letting it linger briefly on the cityscape outside the floor-to-ceiling windows before turning back to Tatsuzuka Yayoi.

"Well, well, superstar." Tatsuzuka Yayoi narrowed her eyes slightly as she pushed up her glasses. "Did your schedule get moved up?"

"I came to take a look first." Chen Tian's voice was calm.

Kitagawa lifted her head from Tatsuzuka Yayoi's embrace, her eyes sparkling. "Sister Yayoi! How are preparations for Tian Jun's concert going?"

The documents in Shinozuka Yayoi's hands trembled slightly. "They're basically done. The only issue is that the stage still needs to be reinforced."

She looked up at Chen Tian, who had walked to the window. "Tian Jun, Fuyuki City is really strange. We got the municipal approval, but after the advertisements went up, people from the church came knocking and demanded that we cancel the performance."

Chen Tian stood with his back to her and did not turn around. "Mm. Ignore them. The date is two days from now?"

"It's two days from now," Yayoi confirmed.

Chen Tian said nothing more, his gaze still fixed on Fuyuki's heavy twilight outside the window.

Yayoi immediately understood. She briskly gathered up the documents and phone and stood. "Then you two get some rest first." She looked at Kitagawa, who was clinging to the back of the sofa, and curved her lips into a smile. "Marin, don't play too late."

"Got it, Sister Yayoi!" Kitagawa waved cheerfully.

Yayoi hurried toward the door, her heels striking the floor with crisp, decisive taps. The door closed softly behind her.

The instant the soft sound of the door closing faded, Kitagawa let out a cheer and charged toward Chen Tian by the window like a tiny cannonball.

"Boyfriend!" She suddenly leaped up and hung herself from Chen Tian's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and rubbing her cheek affectionately against the hair at the nape of his neck. "What are you looking at?"

Chen Tian's body did not move at all. He merely supported her with one hand to keep her from slipping down.

His gaze remained fixed on the gray outline of the city outside. His voice was gentle. "Nothing. I just feel that this seaside city is so lifeless."

Kitagawa craned her neck and looked outside curiously.

There were high-rises, streets, and a blurry coastline in the distance. Aside from the gloomy sky, it did not seem all that different from other cities. "Really?"

She blinked, unable to see anything unusual.

Once the novelty wore off, she released him, slid down from Chen Tian's back, and hopped back onto the soft sofa.

She pulled out her glittering phone and opened the messaging app, her lips pursed slightly. "Why hasn't Rin-chan messaged me yet?"

Chen Tian turned around and looked at her. "Then message her yourself."

"Oh, right!" Kitagawa's eyes lit up, and a smile immediately blossomed across her face. "Mm-hmm!" She nodded vigorously and began tapping away at the screen.

The message was sent successfully in no time.

"Done!" She waved her phone around. The screen showed the message she had just sent, which was a preview of the "surprise" she had prepared for Rin.

Tohsaka Manor, Rin's room.

Rin collapsed heavily onto the soft bed, her body sinking deep into the bedding.

Having just dealt with those troublesome uncles and elders, she felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her mind.

She closed her eyes, the fatigue lingering between her brows. Her icy-blue eyes were hidden behind her shut lids.

The room was quiet, filled only by her slightly heavy breathing.

After lying there for an unknown length of time, she suddenly remembered something, and her eyelids flew open.

"Oh no..." she muttered, a trace of annoyance in her voice. She had promised to let Sister Marin know she had arrived as soon as she got home.

She struggled to sit up and rubbed her aching temples, her gaze sweeping toward the bag lying beside her.

She reached in and pulled out her phone. The cold glow of the unlocked screen lit up the dim room.

A string of notification icons from "Sister Marin" immediately caught her eye.

Rin slid her finger across the screen and opened the messages.

The first few were from several hours earlier:

: Rin-chan, are you on the train? Is your bullet-train seat comfortable?

: How's the weather in Fuyuki? It's already getting cold here in Tokyo~

: Rin-chan, Rin-chan, have you arrived? Tell me when you do! (^▽^)