In Yuzhou, at Suigunyuan Academy.
Dressed in the academy uniform, Rin Tohsaka, known as the academy's most beautiful girl, stood at the school gate.
She looked up at the dark clouds above and the light drizzle that painted the streets in a hazy hue, her eyes revealing a look of annoyance.
"It's so frustrating; I specifically left my umbrella on the table this morning…"
Thinking about how she checked the weather forecast earlier and prepared to bring an umbrella, only to forget it as she left, Rin couldn't help but stomp her foot in irritation.
"Miss Tohsaka?"
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind her.
Turning around, Rin saw a boy of similar age approaching her.
"Lucian?"
Staring at the handsome boy before her, Rin was momentarily taken aback.
Lucian looked at her standing at the gate, then glanced outside at the drizzle, quickly understanding the situation.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's wrong, got something to say?!" Rin glared at Lucian.
Smiling, Lucian stepped forward, offering her his umbrella, "If you don't mind, you can use my umbrella, Miss Tohsaka."
"Use your umbrella?"
Startled, Rin looked at Lucian in confusion, "Then what will you use?"
As soon as she spoke, a soft voice interrupted them.
"Brother, you can use my umbrella." As the voice fell, a girl with long purple hair appeared in front of them.
"Sakura…" Rin's eyes widened slightly before she quickly feigned indifference, "What are you doing here?"
"Hello, Miss Tohsaka." Matou Sakura politely greeted Rin as she stood next to Lucian.
"Sakura, did you bring a spare umbrella today?" Lucian asked, looking at the girl who referred to him as brother.
Matou Sakura gently shook her head, saying, "Brother, we can share one umbrella."
"You two sharing an umbrella? That won't do!" Before Lucian could respond, Rin widened her eyes and protested.
"Exactly! I can just run back; it's just a little rain…"
However, Matou Sakura merely looked at Lucian and said, "Brother, do you remember? Just a month ago, you were bedridden with a high fever for an entire week."
Her voice was gentle but carried an inexplicable weight.
Rin observed this exchange, pouting, and reached out her hand towards Lucian, exclaiming, "Give it to me!"
Lucian instinctively handed the umbrella to her.
With the umbrella in hand, Rin stormed off, her face full of irritation.
Watching her retreating figure, Lucian couldn't help but shake his head helplessly, muttering, "Looks like today's rapport didn't just fail to improve but actually took a turn for the worse…"
Though his voice was low, Matou Sakura still heard him.
"Brother, do you like Miss Tohsaka?"
"Like?" Lucian glanced at Sakura, who was staring at him, and after a moment's thought, replied, "For me… I mainly just want to ride on her coattails."
Not to mention, that coattail is pretty appealing, being widely recognized!
"Speaking of coattails… Sakura, you're quite the impressive one too, in every aspect."
Matou Sakura tilted her head, looking at Lucian, who wore an ambiguous smile.
"...Brother, ever since that high fever, you seem to have changed a bit." After a long pause, Sakura finally spoke again.
"Is that so?" Lucian laughed, "But I'm still me; it's just that I've remembered some things that were originally forgotten."
Remembered… things that were forgotten?
...
...
The rain continued to fall.
When Matou Sakura and Lucian arrived at the residence, the castle looked even more somber under the dark clouds. As Lucian put down the umbrella, his shoulders got slightly damp.
"Brother…"
"It's fine, it's fine." Lucian waved his hand dismissively, saying, "I can't let you get soaked, right?"
Matou Sakura didn't reply; she quickly turned and walked into the house, eager to fetch some dry clothes for Lucian.
But she suddenly paused in the hallway.
Following her gaze, Lucian spotted a hunched, short elderly man ahead... Matou Zangyan.
He glanced at the returning Sakura and Lucian, but before either could greet him, he walked away, lost in his thoughts.
After he left, Sakura resumed her movement.
Soon, Lucian returned to his room first.
His room seemed a bit dull, but in one corner, an eye-catching katana rested prominently.
Lucian glanced at it, then looked around.
Stepping forward, he placed his hand on the sword.
In the next moment:
**[Relic: Divine Blade - Onikiri!**
**Quality: Legendary Epic.**
**(In legend, this famous blade severed the arm of Ibaraki Douji.)**
**Detection: Non-absorbable.**
**Note: The host does not meet the conditions to absorb legendary epic-quality relics. Please first find relics of 'Modern Mystique' quality to absorb!**]
Lucian ignored the two-dimensional screen visible only to him and took the relic, drawing it out.
He saw that the blade was damaged and rusty.
At that moment…
"Hey, is Lucian here!"
The door swung open violently, and a boy with an eye-catching seaweed haircut stomped in, carrying a box with impatience.
"There you are! Here's the thing you asked me to find for you!"
Matou Shinji tossed the box in front of Lucian.
Lucian paid no attention to his roughness; his eyes brightened as he quickly opened the box, pulling out another broken sword similar to Onikiri.
**[Relic: California Kiyomitsu**
**Quality: Modern Mystique.**
**(One of the swords wielded by the genius swordsman Okita Souji, captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu period.)**
**Detection: Absorbable!**]
"I was wondering why you suddenly became interested in these swords. It took me so long to rummage through the back house to find it!"
Matou Shinji said impatiently to Lucian, "Just this once. Don't bother me next time; I'm very busy…"
"Shinji!" Lucian interrupted Matou Shinji.
"What?"
"Love you to death!"
Matou Shinji froze, staring at Lucian.
Then he stepped back in shock, yelling at the excited Lucian, "What are you talking about, you weirdo!"
"Love you to death, Shinji! You really helped me out, just like everyone says about you being harmless; love you!"
Unable to take it anymore, Matou Shinji turned and ran out, mumbling "crazy" under his breath, leaving Matou Sakura perplexed as she passed by.
"What happened?" Matou Sakura entered the room, glancing at Lucian, who was fiddling with the broken sword.
"Nothing… By the way, Sakura, what's up?"
"The hot water is ready." Although puzzled, Matou Sakura replied, "Brother, go take a bath."
Lucian nodded, setting down the broken sword and leaving the room with Matou Sakura.
After they left, Matou Zangyan appeared outside the door without anyone noticing.
He glanced at the two relics on the floor, then looked at Lucian and Sakura's figures as they left.
"...Just a mundane person without magical seals. What's there to care about?"
With that, Matou Zangyan vanished into the darkness again.
After finishing his bath and changing into casual clothes, Lucian looked at the relics on the floor.
He silently thought, "System, show me the attribute panel…"
In the next moment, a semi-transparent attribute panel appeared before Lucian.
Host: Lucian
Identity Background: Transmigrator
Heroic Spirit: None
Golden Finger: The Book of Heroic Spirit Development
The Book of Heroic Spirit Development: By using catalysts—relics as anchors, the host can project themselves into the time periods where the relics exist to simulate events.
Once the simulation ends, everything experienced by the host in the current time period will be imprinted in the Book of Heroic Spirit Development, which will subsequently generate corresponding heroic spirits!
And because the heroic spirit is the host himself, direct summoning can be performed using the host as the catalyst
through the Book of Heroic Spirit Development!
Everything begins with the high fever that Matou Sakura mentioned a month ago.
The sudden high fever left Lucian bedridden for an entire week.