I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

Pushing open the door, Ritsuka slowly walked up to the tatami mats. With one hand on Miyu's head, Ritsuka gently pried Miyu's arms from around her neck and placed her on the bed.

Since only two rooms in the house had been tidied up, Ritsuka could only ask Miyu to make do for now.

Ritsuka first took off Miyu's shoes, then removed what looked like a formal dress. She then put Miyu in her old pajamas to prevent the little one from catching a cold by not wearing clothes at night.

Even though Miyu was a Divine Child, she probably wouldn't be bothered by a cold...

"Good night, Miyu."

Tucking her in, Ritsuka tiptoed out of the room and headed outside.

The moon was bright and the stars were few. Ritsuka found herself alone in the dojo in the courtyard. The empty Emiya residence felt inexplicably lonely.

"Kiritsugu, what choice will you ultimately make?"

Section 12: Chapter Twelve: Kiritsugu Emiya, Who Possesses Miracles

Holding the ingredients needed for breakfast, Ritsuka, who had woken up early, moved around the kitchen, her gaze slightly unfocused.

If she just shifted her gaze slightly towards the doorway, she could see that child named Miyu standing there holding a toy ball, quietly watching her. This had been going on for quite some time.

Her red eyes were incredibly clear, terrifyingly pure.

After the usual morning exercise, she naturally wanted to take a shower since she was sweating all over. However, upon returning inside to get her change of clothes, she woke Miyu, who was sleeping in the covers. Ritsuka had a brief conversation with her and explained a few things.

For example, what her name was, and what the name of the uncle who saved Miyu with her was. She explained these ordinary things.

—From then on, the situation spiraled out of control.

While she was showering, someone stood outside the door watching.

When she was cleaning the cherry blossom petals scattered all over the yard, little Miyu 'supervised' from the hallway.

Even when she went to the restroom midway, Miyu watched from a distance, as if wanting to monitor her the entire time.

And now, while preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Miyu was peeking in from the doorway, silently looking inside...

Subconsciously sighing, Ritsuka took out a small snack from the refrigerator. She had made it during the housewarming party and it was sweet enough that a child would probably like it.

"Miyu, come here for a moment."

Pitter-patter, Miyu ran up to Ritsuka on her short legs, tilting her head up and staring at her with those slightly inorganic-looking red eyes.

She was so pure it was almost unbelievable, Ritsuka sighed inwardly.

"This is a little snack I made earlier. It'll still be a while before breakfast is ready, so Miyu can have this to tide you over."

Hearing this, Miyu, who disliked speaking, didn't say anything but simply nodded slightly. Then, she reached out towards the snack on the table, only to be quickly stopped by Ritsuka.

With a hint of confusion, Miyu tilted her head at Ritsuka, making Ritsuka feel an inexplicable sense of guilt.

"Um, well, Miyu, you need to wash your hands before eating."

"Wash hands."

Miyu nodded thoughtfully and stopped reaching for the snack. She stood calmly in place. Ritsuka reacted and pulled her over to the sink.

She washed her hands, which had touched the toy ball, until they were sparkling clean in about fifteen seconds, scrubbing between her fingers, front, back, and sides. Taking her own towel to dry Miyu's hands, Ritsuka placed the plate directly into Miyu's hands.

Smiling, Ritsuka pointed to the sofa not far away. "Go on, wait for me there for a bit."

Watching Miyu's pitter-patter little feet tread on the floor and then trot towards the sofa, Ritsuka picked up the toy ball from the ground and placed it in a corner.

This little girl didn't even want her toy when she got something to eat.

Using her familiar breakfast recipe, Ritsuka took out the leftover clean rice from yesterday, casually fried three eggs, and then started making seafood risotto with the leftover rice.

There was still a small portion of Kichiji fish left. After trimming the edges and corners, Ritsuka put the raw fish into the pot.

"It seems like it's not quite enough." Looking at the amount of food in the pot, and considering Miyu's appetite, Ritsuka realized the food was still a bit insufficient and needed to be increased.

She took out a vacuum-sealed pack of chicken nuggets and started frying them in hot oil. These things, called junk food in her previous life, were quite popular in the Emiya household. Both Ritsuka and Kiritsugu were rather fond of this unhealthy fried food.

Once breakfast was ready, Ritsuka loaded the divided portions onto a large tray and went to Kiritsugu's room, pushing the door open and walking in without knocking.

"Kiritsugu, breakfast is ready." Ritsuka scanned the room. The area around the desk was covered in sticky notes. Upon closer inspection, all of them contained the word "Sakutsuki."

Kiritsugu looked tired, likely having stayed up all night...

Hearing the commotion, Kiritsugu, who had closed his book, glanced at Ritsuka as she entered the room and pointed to a low table nearby. "Put it there."

"Remember to eat it, don't let it get cold."

The food was placed and covered with a lid to prevent excessive heat loss, which should have a heat-preserving effect.

After arranging Kiritsugu's breakfast, Ritsuka got up and headed out of the room.

"Ritsuka, do you think my choice was right or wrong?"

The voice from behind her, hoarse and filled with exhaustion, made Ritsuka realize a fact: Kiritsugu hadn't had any water all night!

? ?

Ritsuka knew what Kiritsugu meant and directly exited the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

"It's a matter of perspective, isn't it? Nobody can say for sure..."

"Though personally, I feel a world that needs to sacrifice a little girl to be saved is truly broken."

No one knew the price behind that power. Kiritsugu couldn't fully decipher the secrets of the Sakutsuki clan, or whether this ability to indiscriminately grant wishes required some kind of sacrifice.

Nothing comes for free. Whatever you gain, you must lose. Perhaps the price for saving this world was Miyu's own sacrifice.

Trading one person for the entire world—

It couldn't be called great. It was simply... unsettling.

"Sister?"

Standing outside Kiritsugu's room, Ritsuka paused for a moment before preparing to leave. However, Miyu, who suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway, made her freeze.

Walking forward, Ritsuka crouched down to be at the same height as the little girl. Their eyes met. "Miyu, why did you come over?"

"To eat."

"...Okay, let's go eat."

Taking Miyu's small hand, Ritsuka glanced back at Kiritsugu's closed door before leading Miyu back to the dining table.

After placing the little girl onto a rather high chair, Ritsuka scurried into the kitchen, divided the still-hot food from the covered pot into two portions, and placed them into bowls and plates.

Fried eggs, fried chicken nuggets, and seafood risotto, made with expensive Kichiji fish – it was a perfectly adequate breakfast.

After all, a certain philosopher named Lu once said: eat well in the morning, eat your fill at noon, and eat lightly at night.

Keeping this life motto in mind, one could maintain good health. Ritsuka also felt this breakfast was good enough. She couldn't afford any fancier ingredients; not everyone had the power of money.

Ritsuka clasped her hands together in prayer. "I'm starting!"

Miyu quietly watched Ritsuka's actions, then sat up straight, clasped her hands in front of her, and said, "...I'm starting!"

It was laundry time. While Miyu quietly played with her toys and Kiritsugu was holed up in his room doing research, Ritsuka carried a basin to the yard.

Entering the pitch-black warehouse, Ritsuka turned on the light, started the washing machine in the corner, and sorted the prepared clothes into it, adding the right amount of detergent.

"Hm? Why isn't it working?"

Unexpectedly, the seemingly new washing machine didn't respond when the button was pressed. It was completely still, seemingly broken.

Ritsuka thought for a moment, then reached out and slapped it.

Bzzzzzz—!!

It moved! As expected, a direct approach was the most effective repair method. Ancient wisdom never lied.

Just as the great philosopher, Old Man Lu, said: when a machine won't move, it just needs a good smack!

The above was just a joke. Doing that might actually break the machine faster, so Ritsuka only gave it a 'gentle' pat.

Conveniently, Ritsuka found a toolbox on a shelf in the warehouse. She then squatted in front of the washing machine, ready to begin her repair mission.

Her hand rested on the machine's casing. The machine, which had stopped running again, was covered in azure patterns that began to delve deeper into the washing machine, probing for abnormalities.

"Synchronize."

Holding the washing machine's manual in her free hand, Ritsuka compared it carefully.

"Looks like a power line is disconnected."

"There's also an issue with the drum..."

"Yosh, confirmed."

Putting aside a screwdriver and other tools from the toolbox, Ritsuka first removed the clothes from the washing machine and soaked them in water, then began preparing to repair the machine.

However, things didn't go as planned. Just as she was about to start with the screwdriver, a small figure appeared at the warehouse entrance.

"Sister, let's play."

Holding a toy ball, Miyu ran up to Ritsuka, gently grabbing her sleeve. This made Ritsuka hesitate, unsure whether to put down the screwdriver in her hand.

As she pondered, in the instant her eyes met those clear, ethereal eyes, Ritsuka decisively gave up resisting.

Fixing a washing machine? How could that compare to playing with a little loli?

"Alright, Miyu, wait for me outside obediently. I'll tidy this up."

Ritsuka raised the screwdriver in her hand helplessly, indicating she needed to clean up the area.

Miyu nodded and left the warehouse. With a sigh, Ritsuka began tidying the mess around her feet.

She put all the tools back in their place, took out the clothes soaking in the basin, marked the problems on the manual with a marker, and then set everything aside.

In the yard, Ritsuka swept away some fallen leaves from the ground. She then stood a short distance away, watching Miyu throw her toy ball, which traced an arc through the low air.

Ritsuka caught the ball with her hand, then used her foot to flick it back the way it came.

Back and forth they went, the two of them playing joyfully in the courtyard, unaware of the man in a kimono silently observing from the end of the hallway, smoke swirling around him.

Kiritsugu smoked, gazing at Ritsuka, who wore a rare, happy smile, lost in thought.

Such uninhibited laughter was uncommon during their travels together over the past few years; the only times Ritsuka showed such joy were when Kiritsugu was caught smoking and Ritsuka forcefully shoved a Pocky into their mouth.

The cigarette burned out, and Kiritsugu removed the butt, pinching it between his fingers. He coughed violently, quickly covering his mouth with his right hand and lowering his voice so the two young girls in the yard wouldn't notice.

He opened his hand, revealing black bloodstains clinging to it like dark mud, exuding a terrifying aura.

With his right hand behind his back, Kiritsugu took out a Pocky, put it in his mouth, and quietly retreated.

"A miracle... perhaps Ritsuka's appearance was a miracle for me..."

"Having already received such a precious miracle, how could I dare to ask for more?"

Chapter 13: The Fated High Jump

Clutching a stack of notes, Ritsuka walked the streets of Fuyuki City, preparing to buy some things, like Miyu's spare clothes.

Currently, the only clothes Miyu could wear were her old pajamas and the kimono she had on when they first found her; she had no other outfits.

Kiritsugu was engrossed in his studies and couldn't be pulled away, while Miyu couldn't leave the Emiya residence freely. A normal person's wish would undoubtedly cause a commotion, especially since Miyu hadn't forgotten the figure who attacked her the day they found her.

Golden Twin-tails, with waist-length black hair tied back by a black ribbon, and a face colder than Kiritsugu's, looking around her age.

"Just who could that person be?"

Ritsuka patted their forehead, a little troubled.

Because both of them had retreated so quickly at the time, Kiritsugu's exceptional combat experience had already suppressed one of them, and Ritsuka's outburst had successfully forced them back.

Miyu's identity could not be exposed, and even Miyu's very existence couldn't be revealed carelessly, or the consequences would be very troublesome—