The church was one of the strangest places in Fuyuki City. Normally, the word "church" brought to mind crosses, pastors, and splendid halls. In Fuyuki City, however, none of those things existed. The church housed only one head priest, Kirei Kotomine, who never prayed and never took part in Church ceremonies.
Today, an uninvited guest arrived at the church.
"Is that you, Shinji? I never thought this church would actually serve its purpose someday." The priest regarded Shinji Matou with a priestly smile.
"What do you mean by that?" Seemingly unaware of his predicament, Shinji Matou sounded as arrogant as ever.
"Nothing." The priest had no intention of wasting time on the subject and asked directly, "Have you decided to withdraw from the Holy Grail War, young man?"
"Of course I have." Shinji jerked his head up and declared imperiously, "Do you expect me to go get myself killed? I'm just an ordinary person. Without a Servant, I can't fight at all, so what's the point of being a Master? I'm just an ordinary person, a victim of the Holy Grail War. The way this war works is far too unfair to me."
The priest gave a faint snort. Shinji reacted as though someone had stepped on his tail, staring straight into the priest's eyes and demanding indignantly, "What's that supposed to mean? Do you have a problem with me?"
"Of course not." The priest actually smiled. His shoulders shook as he said, "You're the first person to withdraw from this Holy Grail War, and the first person to make use of this church since it was built. I'll be sure to treat you well. After all, you're the reason both this church and I finally have a reason to exist." Amusement filled his words, his expression, and his voice.