I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

In the snowy night, Matou Shinji, sitting by the window, sighed and let out a huff in the quiet room.

His girlfriend, who had promised to stay at the Matou family residence for the night, hadn't shown up, completely stood him up. This made the rich and willful Shinji feel displeased.

While he was good to his friends, he had no patience for his new girlfriend who was all about "business, not feelings."

"Forget it, I'll break up with her at school tomorrow."

Lights out and off to bed. It was already eight in the evening, and with nothing else to do, he might as well sleep.

An hour past the agreed-upon time, there was no point in waiting any longer. He was definitely stood up by a woman he had only recently met...

Outside the Matou residence, a gap appeared in the invisible magecraft barrier. A man wearing the Hogwarts Academy uniform rubbed the dark circles under his eyes.

Behind him, a blonde girl with twin ponytails slung the person she had ambushed and knocked out over her shoulder. They weren't here to kill indiscriminately; it was more reliable to knock out and send away these random passersby.

"Beatrice, you take this woman back."

"Yes."

Receiving the order, the little red-haired loli took the unconscious girl, then turned and vanished into the snowy night.

The gloomy man's blue pupils shifted drastically, emitting crimson light as he slowly walked towards the Matou residence, a stream of black mist swirling in his hand.

Chapter 25: A Strange Day

In the morning, the courtyard was very quiet. It was still early before school, so Sakura and Miyu were still asleep.

Sizzling sounds echoed from the kitchen as Ritsuka, holding a spatula, fried eggs for breakfast.

"Hey hey, Ritsuka, I'm back!"

Bang—!

Taiga, wearing a motorcycle helmet, was knocked to the ground by the wooden spoon used for scooping rice. Ritsuka, without looking back, took out bacon from the refrigerator.

"Ritsuka... let's duel!"

Taiga took her Tiger Bamboo Sword from behind her and swung it down with great spirit, striking various poses.

Ever since she was defeated by Ritsuka in a sword fight a few years ago, she had finally issued another duel invitation, determined to avenge her past defeat. She hadn't slacked off on her training while Ritsuka was busy with part-time jobs and housework!

"Today, I will..."

"Taiga, hand me the spoon."

Without turning around, Ritsuka looked at the steamed rice and transferred the fried eggs from the pan onto a plate.

Reaching out, she took the spoon handed over by Taiga, washed it carefully by the sink, and Ritsuka easily brushed aside the sudden interruption...

Fried eggs, bacon, and a bowl of hot rice. Taiga forgot everything else and sat at the table with a smile, waiting for the meal, her eyes curved like crescent moons and her mouth forming an M shape.

"Teacher, you still have lesson prep, so eat first. I'll go wake Miyu and Sakura for breakfast."

"Got it!"

Taiga stared at the table and began to enjoy the delicious breakfast, casually tossing her Tiger Bamboo Sword aside. Ritsuka, meanwhile, walked out of the living room.

Passing through the cool corridor, she arrived at the washroom, where two different voices could be heard.

Ritsuka paused, clenched her small fist, and gently knocked on the door—

"Miyu, Sakura, wash up quickly and come eat. Don't waste time."

"You're both up late today, you'll be late."

Behind her were the snowmen Taiga and the others had built in the yard last night. Ritsuka glanced at the sky; it truly wasn't early anymore.

Classes started at 8:30, and if she was late, she was sure Teacher Taiga would use it as an opportunity to give her a hard time, as that woman loved to mess with people.

Fuyuki's Hogwarts Academy was quite lenient with student management due to factors like student numbers.

Rustling sounds came from the washroom, and the door slowly opened. Miyu just poked her head out, "Okay, Sister, we heard you."

"Hurry up then."

Confirming that the two were not lazing around, Ritsuka yawned.

Returning to the living room, Taiga, who had devoured everything at lightning speed, was almost finished. Ritsuka, accustomed to this, began to clear the table.

"Oh, right, Ritsuka, I went to call Shinji. He's surprisingly not sleeping in today."

"Let me tell you, when I went to find him today, the dark circles under his eyes were super exaggerated."

Blah blah blah...

Taiga chattered excitedly about what she had seen and heard today. Shinji's situation was indeed a bit strange.

Ritsuka rubbed her chin, her expression turning slightly serious, her eyes flickering. Did he encounter a "honey trap"? Was it bigger than his?

That's why he couldn't sleep?

However, Taiga felt a bit regretful that she hadn't witnessed Shinji's "big moment." After all, it was a rare opportunity. Perhaps Taiga would have beaten Shinji up in her embarrassment and anger, which would have been Taiga helping Sakura vent her frustration.

Lost in thought, Ritsuka shook her head and looked at Taiga, "Teacher, don't you have lesson prep today?"

"Hmm...?"

Taiga blinked, then immediately picked up her Tiger Bamboo Sword and rushed out of the house.

Not long after, as Ritsuka was starting to serve the other two, Taiga returned in a hurry, grabbed her helmet, and ran off.

"See you later, Ritsuka!"

"Okay."

Like a gust of wind, Fujimura Taiga rushed out of the Emiya residence, sped off on her scooter, leaving a trail of dust behind.

A little while later, the two slightly dazed girls walked up to the dining table and began to enjoy breakfast.

A peaceful everyday continued, but dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive, as if a heavy rain was about to fall.

The Crystal Dice rolled on the desk, and Ritsuka was quite bored during lunch break.

It looked like it was about to rain outside, but because the temperature was quite low, there was a higher possibility of snow.

Sakura had disappeared somewhere. After finishing the lunch packed in her bento box, Ritsuka, with nothing else to do, started fiddling with the Crystal Dice. Since it was a die itself, there was no problem with tossing it around, even though it wouldn't show any numbers.

A figure clad in something like a cloth, shouldering a large bow, landed on the highest point.

"Rolled an 'Alcides'?"

Ritsuka chuckled. Actually, it would be nice if there was a female figure in the Crystal Dice. As long as she was pleasing to the eye, Ritsuka might be able to stare at her for a long time.

Daydreaming could greatly alleviate boredom.

"Did Sakura go to find Shinji? That guy, honestly, he didn't even come to school. Taiga will definitely scold him to death if she finds out."

Shinji hadn't come to school. That guy had disappeared for the day, and his seat in the classroom had remained empty. Sakura, upon learning this during lunch break, had also disappeared.

"Julian isn't here either. Why is everyone gone?"

The familiar people were gone, and suddenly there was absolute silence again. The only person left beside Ritsuka was Miyu.

It felt just like how Ritsuka had felt right after losing Kiritsugu...

"Never mind, I'll go look for them too."

There was still a considerable amount of time left before lunch break ended. Ritsuka, whose grades were acceptable, decisively chose to skip class and left the classroom through the back door.

With the key in hand, Ritsuka first headed to the Kyudo Club, wanting to see if that guy was slacking off there.

Unfortunately, the Kyudo Club was extremely quiet, and the teacher didn't lend out any other keys that could open the club's main door. Ritsuka looked at the locked door and had no choice but to go elsewhere.

Crossing the playground, easily climbing over the school wall, Ritsuka arrived at the elementary school section of the adjacent Hogwarts Academy, and then left the school from this side's wall, walking along the streets of Fuyuki City.

The sky was a depressing gray, with thick dark clouds covering the city's sky.

Flicking her tied ponytail, Ritsuka watched snowflakes fall from the sky, mixed with a bit of rain. She immediately ran to an abandoned park and stood under a pavilion.

"Hmph hmph hmph..."

Suddenly, a small figure caught her eye, and a light, happy humming also drew Ritsuka's attention.

It was a blonde girl, about the age of an elementary school student.

With golden twin tails in a curly style, a loli about Miyu's age, she glanced at Ritsuka standing in the pavilion and then hurried off to the side.

On the other side, a red-haired twin-tailed loli ran into the park and happened to meet the blonde girl.

It was clear they knew each other, and it was the red-haired loli who was looking for the other. They started talking, and the latter loli had a helpless expression on her face.

"Erika..."

"That's...?"

For some reason, a strange feeling made Ritsuka stiffen. Her gaze remained fixed on the two girls.

They were clearly just two girls who looked foreign. One of them caused her skill [Clairvoyance (True)] to constantly issue warnings, while the other...

Caused the Crystal Dice to react violently.

Subconsciously pressing her right hand, an image appeared directly in Ritsuka's vision: Alcides, with two lines of text appearing below.

[Alcides (Archer/Avenger)]

[Synchronization Value (3%)]

The synchronization value had increased slightly and was still slowly increasing. It rose by about 1% every ten seconds.

What was happening?

Ritsuka stared intently at the two little ones, a drop of cold sweat sliding down her cheek.

"Hey! Big sister over there, what are you doing?"

Suddenly, an extremely dangerous aura rose from the girl with the red twin tails. She turned her head and looked at Ritsuka, who had been staring at them.

At the same time, she revealed an innocent smile.

"I'm hiding from the rain. Where are your parents? Do you need me to call them?"

Ritsuka pulled out her phone, suppressing a tremor and forcing a calm demeanor. She felt as if she were being stared down by a wild beast, her smile stiffening.

It was like the first time she encountered a lion, when she was only seven years old.

At that moment, she felt like prey spotted by a top predator.

'What in the world is this thing?'

Ritsuka glanced at the image on her screen. The Synchronization value had already reached 9%.

"Thank you for your kindness, sister, but no need to trouble yourself."

With a cheerful laugh, the other person waved their hand, and the two little ones left together, running out of sight along the street outside the park.

Clenching her fingers tightly, Ritsuka let out a sigh of relief.

"I somehow feel like that girl's aura... is a bit like Alcides..."

Chapter 26: Enzō and the Class Cards

They both disappeared around the street corner, and Ritsuka stood in the pavilion, watching them go.

Having escaped danger, she raised her hand to wipe away the cold sweat. The numbers on the Crystal Dice had also stopped, hovering around 14%. This was already a considerable figure.

After all, it had taken her five years to increase Emiya Shirou's Synchronization by only 8%, and then it broke through to 30% due to a certain opportunity.

Now, just by looking at a little girl, the Synchronization value for 'Alcides' had surged. This was truly an unexpected development, though the previous encounter had been quite dangerous.

"Wait a minute, could it be... Alcides is a lolicon?"

Ritsuka scratched her head and started spouting nonsense.