"Let's go out the rear entrance." "Shirou!" "Saber?" "I'm surprised to see Saber with you." "You..." "Archer!" "What's with you finally showing up now?" "530)}#09 The Distance Between Them" "Isn't it obvious?" "I sensed a threat to my Master and rushed to her side." "But it appears I was too late." "it's all over!" "I'll fill you in on everything that happened so you just stand there and listen!" "Looks like I arrived at the worst possible time." "You can say that again!" "and now you decide to show up?" "all right." "I'll rush to your side at once." "which Servant was eliminated?" "It was the Rider-class Servant that disappeared." "but she was probably taken out by Caster." "The coward." "Then she really was all talk." "Rider died protecting her Master." "You are in no position to call her a coward." "A coward is a coward." "One who calls herself a hero should at least try to take her opponent out with her." "That she was defeated without resistance suggests she was unable to do so." "and you call yourself a hero?" "anyone not suited to fight this battle should disappear early on." "Well said." "Archer?" "I am compelled by Command Seal not to fight you." "I would die just like Rider." "Saber?" "that's enough." "My alliance with Emiya-kun is only until we defeat the Master hiding in the school." "Or what?" "Do you want to force me to use another Command Seal on you?" "Perhaps." "I got carried away teasing her." "Saber." "as well." "I shall overlook your words." "the first thing we need to do is locate her Master." "Caster's Master comes to this school every day." "we should let them be." "In other words we attack before they can return to Ryuudou Temple?" "Exactly." "won't they stop coming to school because it's too risky?" "That's unlikely." "I doubt Caster's Master still possesses their free will." "That's her style." "Her very first move was probably to turn her Master into a puppet." "That makes sense." "we'll continue our investigation of the school." "we strike." "but how do we look for them?" "That's our homework for next time." "We're all tired." "Let's call it a day." "I can still—" "Hey..." "Tohsaka!" "Can't you see that Archer is acting strange?" "we need to be on the same page." "I get it!" "I'll go home." "I'll do as you say and go home." "then." "and good work today." "I was able to see you as a Master." "Archer!" "we'll get to the bottom of this screw-up!" "there it is." "The uncharacteristic lack of verbal abuse was troubling me." "look here..." "Am I going to have to lay down the law?" "You want to sleep in my room?" "Of course." "To prevent a repeat of last night's error" "I shall sleep in your room." "Surely you have no objections?" "I do!" "Big ones!" "When it comes down to it it's your fault for falling victim to remote hypnosis from such a great distance." "I cannot protect you from Caster's magic so it's natural that I at least stay in the same room." "that's a perfectly sound argument." "tonight—" "All right." "I'll have you sleep nearby." "Good." "That's the logical choice for a Master." "But only nearby." "idiot." "It is the sixth day since the war commenced." "You are the first to make their way here." "boy?" "O-Of course I am!" "You want me to die?" "!" "and I'm no longer a Master!" "I-I'm just an ordinary human." "I'm just a victim in all this!" "when we can't do anything!" "What?" "Do you have a problem with that?" "Of course not." "You are the first to withdraw from this war and to use this church's services since it was founded." "I will offer you every hospitality." "What?" "You're saying I'm the only one that's been knocked out?" "what will he say?" "This is all you people's fault!" "Rider!" "Oh?" "Then Rider was of no use to you?" "Damn right!" "she went and died like a dog!" "Any other Servant would have been way more useful!" "I did exactly as Grandfather said!" "My preparations were perfect!" "But those bastards all got in my way!" "It was two against one!" "I didn't stand a chance with those odds!" "it wasn't my fault that I lost." "that's all!" "Always looking down on me with those smug expressions!" "crap!" "Then you're saying that you still have the resolve to fight?" "You are most fortunate." "There happens to be one available Servant." "And what do you think that doctor said to me?" "Fujimura-san so perhaps you'd care to donate some blood?" "Ho ho ho!" "damn it!" "Unbelievable!" "Refill!" "isn't it great news that most had nothing worse than anemia?" "either." "True." "but..." "It's a little strange..." "Strange how?" "Even though it was such a huge mess they have no idea what really caused it." "Something about chemicals in an empty classroom on the first floor?" "They spent all night scouring the building from top to bottom and that's all they have." "right?" "but most will be able to go home today." "including Sakura-chan." "really?" "you should stop by and see her." "I bet Sakura-chan will be happy to see you." "T-Tohsaka?" "There's definitely something suspicious about Issei." "Suspicious?" "How so?" "Caster's Master." "and Issei comes to school from there." "Those things can't be unrelated." "it could be a coincidence." "Emiya-kun?" "it's not like that." "Come with me." "Just come on!" "Tohsaka?" "I get it..." "I get what you're trying to say." "so don't give me that look." "I don't know how to handle it when you sulk on me." "I'm not sulking!" "I can't imagine Issei working with Caster to do something so horrible." "Have you forgotten what Archer said yesterday?" "His theory that Caster's controlling her Master?" "isn't it possible that Issei can't remember that he's a Master?" "I guess." "What?" "Do you have another theory?" "No." "then." "Fine!" "I'll do it!" "I'll look into him." "Leave Issei to me." "I'll find out whether or not he's a Master." "Trust me!" "and I wouldn't lie to you." "All right." "Inform me the instant you know one way or the other." "Got it?" "I promise." "how do you plan to assess him?" "Um... are you a Master?" right?" "Don't worry!" "There are ways to find out if someone's a Master without asking." "Student Council Office" "Emiya?" "Issei..." "Don't ask questions." "Just take off your clothes." "Wh-What did you say?" "!" "Are you mad?" "Is this some new form of interrogation?" "Are you gonna question me?" "That's right." "And you'll answer!" "just strip." "fool!" "And you call yourself the son of a warrior family?" "!" "Shut up and strip!" "What a relief." "It's a real relief!" "What's a relief?" "making me do that for nothing?" "!" "right..." "Issei." "If you think that what you did was wrong" "I insist that you explain your reasons!" "I can't give you the details but I had to find out something." "we're all good." "Issei..." "Have you noticed anything strange at the temple recently?" "Strange?" "Can you think of anything that isn't like it used to be?" "Nothing in particular." "The mountain is the picture of tranquility!" "Issei..." "School has now ended." "Students are not permitted to remain on campus after school hours." "Please leave immediately." "She went home?" "Tohsaka-san left a while ago." "What the hell?" "She said to report to her right away." "Tohsaka?" "what are you doing here— w-w-wai— he'll spot us." "Who'll spot us?" "Move." "Go in further." "your—" "I said to keep quiet." "There." "In front of Sakura's house." "See that weird guy standing there?" "Blond hair..." "A foreigner?" "Right." "He's been watching the Matou house for a while." "He's coming!" "I wonder if he's the guy who was talking to Sakura earlier." "To Sakura?" "it seemed like he was asking Sakura for directions." "Wh-What are you doing here?" "!" "I could ask you the same thing." "What's with the evil grin?" "Nothing!" "But that makes sense." "Instead of looking for other Masters you're more concerned about the underclassman who always comes over to help you." "Emiya-kun." "Don't be stupid." "you'd already left." "Issei's in the clear." "Emiya-kun?" "I did." "Issei isn't a Master." "I don't really care." "I believe you." "Emiya-kun." "he's innocent." "But how did you find out?" "I made him take his clothes off." "I took off his top and checked if he had any Command Seals." "why are you here?" "too." "we're just acquaintances." "she'll be discharged today." "She might be at home." "Oh." "Tohsaka?" "You're leaving?" "There's something I want to ask you." "Fine." "What?" "hypothetically..." "How do you think someone would feel growing up without any say in the matter?" "Emiya-kun?" "She wouldn't feel one way or the other." "she wouldn't complain right?" "I see..." "I guess you're right." "Why am I even asking such an obvious question?" "Let's brainstorm ways to find Caster at school tomorrow." "will do." "Ow..." "Shirou." "A while?" "Taiga?" "I suppose it has been..." "I guess I stopped." "That's right." "Shirou suddenly stopped picking up his bamboo sword." "It made me so sad." "don't bring up the past." "Hmph." "tales from Shirou's childhood?" "want to hear?" "Want to hear?" "I am curious." "All right!" "Prepare to be regaled by big sister Taiga!" "He was adorable as a child." "and he'd instantly agree to any request." "But he had a strange stubborn streak." "he wouldn't budge." "I guess he was the polar opposite of Kiritsugu-san in that regard." "Polar opposite?" "Kiritsugu-san was the kind of guy who was accepting of everything." "will be" kind of guy." "he'd try to help." "And Shirou would always try to mimic Kiritsugu-san." "Shirou saw things in black and white more than Kiritsugu-san did." "It's wrong to do bad things!" "Shirou was already a hero of justice." "Why do you want to be a hero of justice?" "That's hard to answer..." "I guess." "You look up to them?" "To heroes of justice?" "I guess." "Why is that?" "Why?" "Well..." "Shirou?" "I'm going to my room." "Why?" "What am I afraid of?" "Why do you want to be a hero of justice?" "My reason for being a hero of justice..." "Yeah." "I'll become one for you." "I just wanted to follow in his footsteps." "There isn't any such thing in this world." "Let your ideals drag you to your death." "Screw you..." "How can you know unless you try?" "We attack tonight." "He won't live to see the end of this." "They are nothing more than living sacrifices." "A weapon..." "I need a weapon that will let me fight." "Such an irritating boy... 1)}Next time The Fifth Contractor" "I believe I shall kill you."