I, Ritsuka, the Siscon Grand Hero

Ritsuka hesitated, worried that the news would upset Kiritsugu, but Kiritsugu suddenly grinned.

"Ritsuka, you're a good sister, but not a good warrior. I've been secretly observing your interactions with Miyu every day and was mentally prepared."

The unresolved knots in his heart, the twisted fantasies born after a certain event, made the old man, entangled and bruised, laugh from the bottom of his heart, with a hint of loneliness.

"I wanted to save the world, to save everyone in it, but I took too many detours and hesitated at the final step before success."

"I might… not be able to hold on much longer."

Kiritsugu suddenly coughed out a mouthful of black blood. The strange, black mud-like substance within the blood splattered on the floor, emitting a peculiar odor.

Before Ritsuka could react, Kiritsugu collapsed and fell unconscious.

In a blink of an eye, under the bright moon and sparse stars, Ritsuka, after carrying Kiritsugu to the hospital, returned to the mansion with Kiritsugu, who had already woken up.

After dinner, Ritsuka coaxed Miyu to sleep and then walked along the wooden corridor into the courtyard, finding Kiritsugu by the corridor.

Kiritsugu didn't turn around upon hearing the sound, merely looking down at the puddles on the ground after the rain, using them as a mirror to see himself and the bright moon hanging in the sky.

His chin was covered in stubble. Compared to his past vigor, Kiritsugu sighed inwardly, realizing he had finally grown old.

"Kiritsugu, how are you feeling?"

Stroking his messy hair, Kiritsugu chuckled deeply. "I'm alright. Ever since that incident, haven't I been like this all along?"

Ever since that encounter with the all-consuming black mud, Kiritsugu's health had been deteriorating.

What had that substance triggered?

Holding a bowl of freshly brewed medicine, Ritsuka gently placed it beside Kiritsugu, then sat down cross-legged at a distance, also beginning to admire the night view.

"—I've been making mistakes for what I believed was right."

"And to correct those mistakes, I kept making more, ultimately ending up like this."

Downing the bitter medicine in one gulp, Kiritsugu took a deep breath, a feeling of tightness in his chest. He put a Pocky stick in his mouth, suppressing his craving for cigarettes with snacks, just like he used to.

"Perhaps I neither have the right nor the ability, yet I made choices for humanity?"

"When everything I did failed, I started pursuing easy and convenient miracles, but there aren't that many miracles in the world."

Kiritsugu placed the bowl back between them, chewing on the slightly sweet biscuit stick to alleviate the bitterness in his mouth.

With lowered eyelids, looking at the moon's reflection in the water, he slowly spoke, "Chasing miracles, I'm like a monkey trying to catch the moon in the water... enduring a journey like a lightless night—to pursue that unseen moon."

Crunching the biscuit stick, Kiritsugu seemed to be reflecting on his life, as if mocking his own weakness.

"Don't say that, it sounds like you're seeing your life flash before your eyes."

Ritsuka felt a pang of anxiety but forced herself to remain calm, offering a smile. "Those who believe in miracles are as remarkable as miracles themselves!"

"Yes, perhaps that's true."

Kiritsugu turned slightly, looking at Ritsuka's profile, and smiled genuinely, a smile filled with relief and peace.

"I don't have much time left."

"Nonsense, there must be a way to resolve what's inside you. Give me more time, and I'll find a miracle."

The exquisite and beautiful Crystal Dice floated up slowly. Kiritsuka couldn't see it, but it was Ritsuka's only hope now, the hope of healing Kiritsugu.

She didn't understand how this thing worked, but it was her reliance for becoming stronger. Perhaps she could even gain abilities similar to a doctor?!

Ritsuka tried every day to see if she could draw the power to heal Kiritsugu from it, but half a month quietly passed. Other than the 'Emiya Shirou' synchronization value increasing by 0.5%, this thing showed no other changes, and Miyu's power was becoming less and less apparent.

Reflecting the moon in her eyes, accumulated tears trickled down from the corners of her eyes. Ritsuka closed her eyes.

"I've made too many mistakes. Perhaps the only right thing I did was saving you from the ruins."

"Ritsuka, you're right. I've always been a terrible person. I hope you don't follow my path."

He took out a handgun from his pocket—the large-caliber hunting handgun, Thompson/Center Arms, his Magecraft Noble Phantasm that he had always used.

Noble Phantasms are divided into auxiliary Noble Phantasms and limited-function Noble Phantasms. The first type is something mages use to assist their mana when casting Magecraft. The second type is a Noble Phantasm that has a pre-set effect, and it will exert that effect when used.

Kiritsugu's gun was undoubtedly of the second type and was the source of his title as Magus Killer, a great weapon against conventional mages in the Moon world.

Along with it were thirty specially made bullets—Kiritsugu's prized possessions, the Origin Bullets.

"...Kiritsugu?"

There was no response. Kiritsugu simply loaded the bullets and the gun, then placed them in Ritsuka's hand.

"Don't dislike it. Perhaps it's not as helpful as your abilities, but it's better than nothing, isn't it?"

"Use your Crystal Dice to store them, along with mine. Protect Miyu."

The conversation ended. Watching the Noble Phantasm and bullets disappear into Ritsuka's hand, Kiritsugu chuckled with satisfaction and reached out to pat Ritsuka's head.

He slowly pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and began to smoke, the acrid smoke causing him to cough. But Ritsuka didn't stop him from continuing, and they both remained in this state, unawares.

Finally, the two of them—

Watched the stars together all night.

Chapter 17: Pain and Regret

After their late-night talk under the stars concluded, Kiritsugu sat at the dining table the next day for the first time in a while, sharing a meal with Ritsuka and Miyu with a smile. Afterward, they all pitched in for a big cleaning session.

Due to Kiritsugu's health issues, Ritsuka had initially forbidden him from overexerting himself. However, Kiritsugu's uncharacteristic cheerfulness and genuine smile were so infectious that Ritsuka fell silent in its presence.

Miyu remained in high spirits all day, and Kiritsugu played with both of them until they finally fell asleep peacefully as night descended.

He never woke up again.

Ritsuka buried the ailing Kiritsugu with Miyu. A relentless rain poured down, and it seemed the rain in Fuyuki City would not stop anytime soon.

Soaking Ritsuka to the bone, it was impossible to tell if the water streaming down her face was rain or tears. Standing blankly before Kiritsugu's grave, her figure appeared forlorn in the downpour.

After bidding farewell to Kiritsugu, Ritsuka returned to the Emiya residence. The entire world suddenly felt much colder. She acted as she always did, in her role as an older sister.

She heated bathwater, dried Miyu's hair to prevent her from catching a cold, and then bathed with her to wash away the sticky feeling from the rain.

The actions were unchanged, but the interaction between them had diminished significantly. The laughter and joy that had recently begun to emerge between the sisters had vanished without a trace. Miyu remained silent, perhaps unsure of what to say.

The world was cruel. Miyu and Kiritsugu, having made a resolution, spent a wonderful day together, and then everything changed. Kiritsugu disappeared from the world—

Disappeared from Ritsuka's world.

For the next few days, communication between the two ceased. They mechanically maintained the household, a pale anguish enveloping the Emiya residence, until Miyu's birthday when Ritsuka finally regained some spirit.

"Sister, what should we have for lunch today?"

"Hamburger steak. I have the ingredients ready."

In the living room, Ritsuka, tidying up dishes in the open kitchen, looked at Miyu who had approached her. She forced a smile, reached out to ruffle Miyu's head, and the gloom in her eyes lessened slightly.

Being gently petted, the usual gesture made Miyu pause for a moment before she smiled and grabbed Ritsuka's clothes. "Sister, I'll help too."

Finally opening up, amidst the crisp sound of the knife chopping on the cutting board, Miyu and Ritsuka began to chat, making small talk.

Onions, carrots, eggs, and more became their topics of conversation. Smiles gradually returned to their faces, though tinged with helplessness and bitterness. Yet, an improvement was evident, and perhaps before long, they would be able to move past their grief together.

Deep down, Ritsuka still carried the loneliness she had grown accustomed to for over a decade, and now she had someone by her side to keep her company.

Time slipped through their fingers, and soon, two plates of hamburger steak were ready. A delicious lunch was created by Ritsuka and Miyu. Ritsuka also brought out the cake and candles she had prepared in advance.

It was a very different kind of birthday, one that brought a pair of unrelated sisters closer and helped them let go of their sadness together.

Night fell, and all was silent.

A peaceful Fuyuki City plunged into darkness. Many lights in the residential areas were extinguished. However, the relatively luxurious Emiya residence still had one room lit. Inside, one adult and two children, already in their pajamas, prepared to turn off the lights and sleep.

After coaxing Miyu to sleep, Ritsuka, sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat, was not very sleepy. She began to polish the Magecraft Noble Phantasm she had taken out of the Crystal Dice.

Most of the 20 faces were filled with miscellaneous items; there were not many truly useful things. Apart from one face representing a character's abilities, she used the others as storage, placing some items inside.

She wiped the weapon clean with a soft towel, arranged the bullets one by one, and then put them back into the Crystal Dice.

"Hmph~ So useless. In the end, it still didn't achieve anything meaningful."

What was the point of this thing? To manifest a certain anime character's power and replicate it within oneself?

Ever since Kiritsugu's health began to fail, she had been praying to the Crystal Dice for a way to heal him, but it had shown no reaction, not even a flicker of response.

Gently holding the seemingly sturdy Crystal Dice, she felt an intuition that it was indestructible...

"I still don't understand the principle behind this thing."

A Golden Finger, a must-have for every traverser. It was supposed to be a standard system for every traverser, or perhaps some other form of enhancement. Ritsuka considered this bizarre contraption of hers to be a Golden Finger.

But what kind of Golden Finger was so unreliable, not even reacting when needed, and forcing her to figure out its usage on her own?

With no after-sales service, Ritsuka could only sigh as she flipped through the small, exquisite Crystal Dice in her hand, examining the contents on its 20 faces, zooming in on each one, but only one truly held practical significance.

[Emiya Shirou]

[Synchronization Value (32%)]

Aside from the man with white hair and brown eyes and the man with red hair and brown eyes, there were only some convenient items.

Did it require some specific trigger condition?

Or was it just a handy storage device?

But if that were the case, how could she explain the person named 'Emiya Shirou' in the image?

Ritsuka fell into unprecedented confusion. Kiritsugu's departure had been rather sudden, though in some ways, it had been anticipated...

Ritsuka's thoughts began to wander when she was awakened by a voice.

"Sister?"

Miyu opened her eyes, looking at Ritsuka sitting beside her with a dazed expression. The still-on light made it difficult for her to open her eyes.

Ritsuka, noticing the light, quickly reached out and turned it off before slipping into the covers. She then poked Miyu's nose, causing the little girl to pout instinctively.

"Sister, you're mean."

"Well, let's get some rest. When I have time, I'll take you out to play."

Holding Miyu in her arms, Ritsuka listened to the pattering rain outside and made a promise that made Miyu smile unconsciously.

"Sister is the best."

Miyu nuzzled into Ritsuka's embrace before closing her eyes again and drifting off to sleep. Her steady breaths tickled Ritsuka's chest, a warmth she had grown accustomed to over time.

Come to think of it, Miyu hadn't seen the outside world in nearly a month. The last time was when she and Kiritsugu brought her out from the Tsukishiro family…

Kiritsugu had his reasons for not letting Miyu go out. The cloaked figure they had fought that day was a living example, proving that Divine Children were being coveted. Those individuals had the same goal as Kiritsugu and Ritsuka initially did.

Logically, Ritsuka shouldn't have taken Miyu out either, yet she still made that promise. Rather than a caged bird, she wanted Miyu to experience more of the outside world.

However, this matter required careful consideration. After all, merely changing her surname wasn't very effective. Miyu was, in the end, an orphan of the Tsukishiro clan. Changing her surname to Emiya didn't change the fact that she was a Divine Child.

"Never mind, let's just sleep."

Her head growing heavy with fatigue, Ritsuka also closed her eyes and drifted into dreams. A single tear trickled down the corner of her eye.

PS: I'm updating very late, but I still managed to do it. I've been a bit busy with some things and haven't had much free time.

Section 18: Chapter 18 - Fuyuki City, Hogwarts Academy

The early morning drizzle washed over the entire city. Raindrops hung from the branches, slowly dripping down, and the fresh air soothed everyone's spirits.

Ritsuka arrived at school early, as she was on duty today. She planned to do some cleaning in advance so she could finish faster after school and pick up Miyu to go home together.