Did the Heroic Spirit I conquered become a reality?

What are those two hiding?

Thinking about this filled Rin Tohsaka with an indescribable sense of unease.

Just then, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Not far ahead at the street corner, a graceful figure dressed in an elegant nun's habit was slowly walking towards him with elegant steps.

She was...a woman breathtakingly beautiful.

The sacred nun's habit should have brought a sense of solemnity and reverence, but on her, it exuded an indescribable, ultimate allure that blended holiness and depravity, thanks to her incredibly hot and almost bursting figure.

Her face held a gentle, compassionate smile, a unique charm that seemed to encompass everything and was full of "compassion," enough to even stir the heart of Rin Tohsaka, who was also a woman.

Rin Tohsaka gave her a strange look.

She was certain that in the small town of Fuyuki, she had never seen such a beautiful nun.

Just as the two were about to pass each other, the woman suddenly stopped.

A sweet and alluring voice, seemingly capable of bewitching the soul, gently rang in her ear:

"You seem to be... having some troubles?"

Rin Tohsaka looked at the woman in front of her, who was full of mystery and incongruity. Her eyes, which were always as bright as sapphires, were now filled with undisguised wariness and aloofness.

"Who are you?" Her voice was cold, carrying the innate arrogance of the Tohsaka family heir. "Whether I have troubles or not is none of your business."

"Oh dear, don't be so wary." Sesshouin Kihara looked at her, her gentle, compassionate smile unchanged. "I mean no harm."

She took a small step forward, closing the distance between them, and said softly in her alluring voice, which seemed to soothe all negative emotions, "I just... saw a trace of unresolved sorrow lingering between your brows, and I felt a little sorry for you."

"After all, a lovely girl like you should always be happy."

Her words, like the gentlest feathers, softly and precisely brushed against the softest and most vulnerable string in Rin Tohsaka's heart.

Rin Tohsaka's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Looking at the woman's gentle smile, full of "sincerity" and "kindness" that could make anyone lower their guard, the frustration and loneliness that had been suppressed in her heart due to the recent strange events seemed to find an outlet at this moment.

“If you don’t mind,” Sesshouin Kiara looked at her and continued in that seductive, irresistible tone, “there’s a really nice café not far ahead. Would you… like to come sit down and chat with me about your troubles?”

"Maybe I can help you."

Looking at the woman in front of her, who exuded an aura of mystery and danger and called herself a "saint," Rin Tohsaka's wariness as a magician was frantically sending out alarms.

Rationally speaking, she knew she should refuse him without hesitation and then turn and leave.

but……

Thinking back to last night, the atmosphere between her brother and sister, filled with "secrets," made her feel incredibly lonely and frustrated.

Thinking back on all these years, she had always been like a tireless, perfect "top student," striving to maintain the last vestiges of the Tohsaka family's dignity, striving... to play the role of a "reliable" older sister.

But in the end... she was just an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl who had not yet reached adulthood.

She also gets tired, feels wronged, and... longs for someone she can confide in.

In the end, the emotion called "weakness" that had been suppressed in his heart all along triumphed over the "rationality" that belonged to the magician at this moment.

She looked at Sesshouin Kiara, at the gentle smile on her face that was full of "sincerity" and "kindness," and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a single word from her throat.

"……it is good."

Volume 1: Chapter 99 Aoko: One Winter Wood and Two Beasts?!

Inside the café, warm yellow lights softly illuminated the space, filling the air with the rich aroma of coffee and the sweet scent of cake.

Classic and soothing music flows in your ears, creating a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere that allows anyone to let down their guard.

This is a coffee shop that is perfect in terms of decor, music and service.

However, this excessive "perfection" actually gives off a sense of unreality and falseness.

Rin Tohsaka sat opposite Kiara Sesshouin, her fingers unconsciously stroking the warm coffee cup. The wariness that belonged to a magician had been largely dispelled the moment she stepped into the shop by the intoxicatingly peaceful atmosphere.

"Now, can you tell me?"

Sesshouin Kiara looked at her with those all-seeing, compassionate eyes and asked softly, "What kind of trouble could make such a lovely girl look so sad? Is it... related to your family?"

Her words, like a precise scalpel, effortlessly sliced ​​through Rin Tohsaka's softest interior, which she had disguised with "tsundere" and "strongness."

Rin Tohsaka's body stiffened slightly once again.

Looking at the woman's gentle smile, full of "sincerity" and "kindness," all the confusion and unease that had been suppressed in her heart for the past few days burst forth like a flood.

She made no mention of the Holy Grail War, nor of magic.

She simply poured out her feelings, like an ordinary girl confused about her family, about the "strange" close relationship between her brother and sister and the "alienation" she felt as if she were excluded.

Throughout the entire process, Sesshouin Kiara simply listened quietly.

She didn't interrupt or offer any opinion, but simply gazed at her quietly with eyes full of understanding and tolerance, as if to say, "It's okay, take your time, I'm listening."

This feeling of being completely "understood" and "accepted" is something Rin Tohsaka has never experienced before.

After she had poured out all her troubles, she felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

"So that's how it is..." Sesshouin Kiara let out a soft sigh full of pity.

She reached out and gently, with a hint of reassurance, covered Rin Tohsaka's slightly cool hand, which was resting on the table.

"You've really had a hard time." Her voice was filled with heartbreaking tenderness. "You're the older sister, yet you have to bear so much anxiety and grievance. You're family, yet you feel so lonely."

"You must...be really curious about what they're hiding, right?"

"You must... also want to go back into that circle, instead of being excluded like this, right?"

Every word Sesshouin Kiara uttered struck Rin Tohsaka's heart with unparalleled precision, hitting the very spot where Rin longed for the most and was most vulnerable.

Rin Tohsaka looked at her and nodded subconsciously.

“Leave it to me.” Sesshouin Kiara looked at her, a compassionate and holy smile on her face, like that of a saint. “Perhaps… I can help you.”

She didn't specify how she would help, but her words, full of confidence and reassuring power, gave Rin Tohsaka's confused and uneasy heart a sense of security at that moment.

"Really... is it okay?" Rin Tohsaka looked up and asked instinctively.

“Of course.” Sesshouin Kiara’s smile grew even gentler. “Because I exist specifically to save lost sheep like you.”

After saying that, she slowly withdrew her hand.

However, the instant she withdrew her hand, a barely perceptible wisp of pink magic, mixed with a sweet and decadent scent, like a living serpent, silently burrowed from her fingertips into the back of Rin Tohsaka's hand, then quickly disappeared without leaving a trace.

Rin Tohsaka was completely unaware of this.

She just felt that after the other person's warm hand left, the inexplicable irritability and unease in her heart seemed to have really... dissipated a lot.

Instead, there was an unprecedented, hopeful calm.

……

By the time I left the coffee shop, it was completely dark.

The gentle, compassionate smile on Sesshouin Kiara's face slowly faded, replaced by a sweet smile full of joy.

She raised her hand, stuck out her tongue, and gently licked her fingertips, as if savoring some exquisite delicacy.

"That's quite a good 'bait'..."

"Yu Tohsaka..."

"Your pure soul, connected to the 'roots,' must taste... the most exquisite delicacy in the world, right?"

If he could devour that source of magic, then... he might be able to 'devour' the mysterious creature he summoned along with it.

After all, the desire for love can never be satisfied.

Judging from the astonishing magical power Tiamat unleashed at that time, if I could completely absorb her magical power... perhaps I could complete my evolution once again?

Thinking of this, Sesshouin couldn't help but lick her lips, her eyes filled with longing and ecstasy.

……

When I came out of the Kotomine Church, the rain had stopped, but the damp air still carried a chill.

Yu Tohsaka returned home alone.

The living room was empty; Artoria wasn't home.

Ever since learning that an unknown magician was secretly draining the life force of ordinary people, this dutiful knight king has been investigating in secret, trying to find the mastermind behind it all and protect the city as its guardian.

Yu Tohsaka placed the wet umbrella in the entryway, walked into the living room, and sat down on the sofa.

He leaned back against the soft sofa, closed his eyes, and kept replaying his conversation with Kirei Kotomine in his mind.

Every word the man spoke seemed meticulously crafted, leaving no logical flaws, yet the hypocrisy and malice in it made one instinctively uncomfortable.

Hoping to get clues from him is clearly unrealistic.

We must take the initiative and end this flawed war before everyone else can react.

But how can we take the initiative? Even Artoria's investigation has yielded little result; the other party's methods of concealment are quite sophisticated.

A thought, like sunlight breaking through the clouds, suddenly shone into Tohsaka Yu's mind.

—He possesses more than just conventional magician techniques.

He has Tiamat.

For an ordinary magician to search for another sorcerer who deliberately conceals his magical energy fluctuations in the vast city of Fuyuki is like finding a needle in a haystack.

But Tiamat is different; she does not rely on "magic" to perceive the world.

As the "Mother Goddess of Creation," she herself is a synonym for "Life Thoughts (Seven) Near Things IV."

If the enemy lurking in the shadows is "draining life force," then in front of his "mother," this act is as clearly visible as lighting a candle in front of the sun.

With that thought in mind, Tohsaka Yu no longer hesitated and immediately got up from the sofa and quickly went upstairs to the second floor.

He gently pushed open the door to his room.

A small figure was kneeling on the carpet, seemingly studying something very seriously.

It was a little girl who looked only seven or eight years old, with long, flowing blue hair that reached her waist and a pair of pure ruby ​​eyes, wearing a small white dress. This was Tiamat's spontaneously formed juvenile form, Tiamat Lily, for ease of movement.

At that moment, she stretched out a delicate white finger and, with endless curiosity, gently poked a ray of sunlight that was shining through the gap in the curtains.

Within that beam of light, countless dust particles were swirling and dancing.

She seemed to find this phenomenon very interesting, repeatedly poking at it, then looking at her finger, and tilting her head as if pondering why she couldn't grasp it.

Upon hearing the door open, Tiamat Lily immediately turned around. When she saw it was Tohsaka Yu, her pure ruby ​​eyes lit up instantly, and an incredibly bright and innocent smile appeared on her face.

“Aaa!”

She called out happily, like a kitten seeing its owner, and came running over with her short legs. Then she gently hugged Tohsaka Yu's leg and rubbed her cheek affectionately against it.

At this moment, Yu Tohsaka's heart softened.

He bent down, picked up the little "mother goddess," walked to the sofa, and sat down, letting her sit comfortably on his lap.

“I’m back,” he said softly, gently stroking her long, smooth blue hair.

"Aaa~" Tiamat Lily squinted her eyes comfortably, making a satisfied, humming sound, and snuggled her little head into his arms, searching for the most comfortable position.

Yu Tohsaka held her, feeling the irreplaceable warmth and trust that came from the deepest part of his soul, and the gloom in his heart caused by Kirei Kotomine dissipated a lot.

He paused for a moment, organized his thoughts, and began to speak in the simplest and most understandable way possible:

"Tiamat... I need your help."

Upon hearing the word "help," Tiamat Lily lifted her head from his embrace, her pure eyes filled with curiosity and seriousness as she stared at him intently.

Yu Tohsaka looked into her eyes and slowly said, "In this city, there is... a bad person."

"He was like a thief, secretly taking other people's things. Not toys, not food, but something... very important, very warm."

He tried to describe the feeling of having one's vitality drained: "If that thing is taken away, a person becomes listless, gets sick, becomes cold, and... becomes unhappy."

Tiamat Lily listened, seemingly understanding but not quite. She reached out her small hand and gently placed it on Tohsaka Yu's chest, as if to confirm whether the "warm thing" he mentioned was still there.

Feeling his steady, strong heartbeat, she seemed a little more at ease.

But then she thought of the "others" that Tohsaka Yu had described, and for the first time, a trace of indescribable, empathetic "sadness" appeared in those pure eyes.

“Aaa…” she uttered in a slightly dejected voice, her small brows furrowing slightly.