C409

Saber, Archer, Lancer... Among the seven Class Cards that came with Miyu into Fuyuki City from a parallel world, only the Berserker card remains unaccounted for.

Berserker now stands as the ultimate practical dummy for the girls' team.

Lately, a new member has joined the trio—Red, Yellow, and Blue—a representative of the silver color: Gray.

In Illya's words, it's starting to feel more and more like a Power Ranger team.

Gray's inclusion in Illya's team might have been influenced not just by Artoria's gentle encouragement in the background, but also by Gray's own yearning for social interaction.

Shirou didn't raise any objections, and the girls welcomed her warmly.

However, due to differences in temperament and coordination, Gray initially had her fair share of amusing mishaps while trying to fit in with the group.

These moments left Gray feeling embarrassed to the point of tears, but fortunately, both Miyu and Illya are not the type to be overly critical. Chloe, on the other hand, made a few witty and nasty remarks.

He observed all of this and found no issues with the situation.

Anywhere, anytime, not everyone's going to be a saint. Too much kindness can eventually turn into something pretty ugly.

In the grand scheme of things, a group needs its airhead just as much as it needs the opposites. It's what helps new members settle in and work towards getting better.

Chloe, embracing her darker side, has definitely claimed her spot. To put it bluntly, she's like the wicked stepsister of the team.

Shirou coached Illya's small team on teamwork. Meanwhile, Irisviel took a seat, holding an umbrella, and watched over Illya and the team with a gentle, affectionate gaze. Beside her stood Artoria, dressed in white.

She turned her head to glance at the blond, a smile playing on her lips.

"What's the matter, Iri?" Artoria asked strangely.

She chuckled softly, her eyes twinkling. "Oh, just thinking about how strange fate can be. Remember the Fourth Holy Grail War? You were all set to take down Shirou, but look how things turned out – he ended up as the Eternal King."

Artoria grimaced, covering her face as her body trembled, "Ugh, don't bring that up, Iri!"

"You've become even better now, Saber."

"What do you mean?"

She couldn't help but chuckle. "During the Fourth Holy Grail War, you gave off this serious and hard-to-approach vibe. But now, you're at a whole different level of cuteness."

The blond's expression twisted into a cute frown, "It's not like I was intentionally being that way, Iri. I've always stayed true to myself."

Right at that moment, a call echoed out from the forest – it was Arcueid's voice, "Hey Shirou, Artoria, where are you? I've brought you some treats!"

Artoria's expression changed, and she stood up, walking in the opposite direction of the trees.

"Where are you going?"

"There's something I need to do. Just, please, don't let her know where I'm going."

"Sure," Iri replied with an elegant and gentle smile.

Artoria concealed herself behind some bushes near a large tree.

Arcueid emerged from the forest carrying a red basket filled with a delightful array of treats and drinks.

"Did you make all these, Arcueid?" Shirou asked.

With a joyful laugh, she replied, "You bet I did!"

"Nonsense!" Sakura huffed, storming out of the forest and pointing an accusatory finger at her, "I'm the one who actually made those treats! I wanted to surprise my brother with them, but she just came in and snatched them away! And now she's acting like she's the one who made them! That's just too much!"

Arcueid retorted with a displeased tone, "Well, technically, I used my share of the commission to buy the ingredients and drinks. Couldn't that be considered me contributing to making them?"

"How can that possibly be the same thing?" Sakura's hand trembled with anger.

"No need to let it get under your skin. Worst case scenario, let's just think of it as a joint effort on both our parts."

Sakura clenched her teeth and through an unspoken link, she sought the support of a powerful presence.

"Oh, Mother... lend me your strength. I'm about to take down that arrogant golden-haired pest!"

—Sakura, calm down. You can't defeat her.

Sakura: "…"

Arcueid glanced around with a quizzical expression. "Shirou, where's Artoria? Why haven't I seen her?"

Shirou responded with a shrug, "I'm not sure. She was sitting right next to Irisviel a moment ago."

Her gaze shifted towards Irisviel, seeking answers.

"Are you looking for Saber?" she smiled, pointing at Artoria's hiding place and saying, "She's right there!"

Artoria: "!"

Arcueid dashed into the bushes and pulled her out.

Artoria's eyes widened, her expression shifting from disbelief to shock, "Iri... why?"

Irisviel's hand rose to her cheek, a sheepish look coloring her features. "I just couldn't help it. For some reason. I wanted to see Saber's expression."

"Just... for this rather odd reason..."

Arcueid hugged her even tighter.

"Let go, Arcueid, seriously, let go!"

Artoria exerted all her strength, attempting to break free from the hug, but she couldn't budge her an inch.

Ever since her arrival in the real world, Arcueid seemed to take every opportunity to wrap her in a hug like this. And she was like a massive teddy bear, caught in Arcueid's arms, unable to break free.

A blend of irritation and helplessness etched itself onto Artoria's face, her frustration undeniable.

Irisviel's smile widened, eyes sparkling with happiness, "Yes, that's the look! Exactly what I wanted to see! Saber's expression in situations like these!"

Shirou cast a quick glance at the 'heartwarming' scene before him and took a leisurely sip from his bowl of fish soup.

Oddly enough, he found himself quite drawn to Artoria's expressions in moments like these.

But why? The reason wasn't exactly clear. It had something to do with a liking he developed over fifteen centuries ago – a strange hobby to play with women's hair, which seemed to have started with Artoria.

As he pondered, he realized that back in those ancient days, during the most challenging periods, he found peace in teasing her. It became a way to alleviate the stress and pressure that weighed him down.

Describing the feeling wasn't easy. Artoria, who was typically poised, strong, and dignified, would, under his playful teasing, display a blend of irritation, exasperation, and helplessness. It was a thoroughly charming instance of being "bullied," an expression that brought him immense satisfaction during the toughest times in life.

Alright, he had to confess – messing with Artoria was indeed addictive.

"By the way, the day after tomorrow is July 20th," Irisviel suddenly remarked.

He asked, "July 20th, huh? Does that day mean anything special?"

Illya's eyes brightened as she pointed and said, "It's my birthday! Mom is planning to throw a birthday party for me!"

Chloe's mood seemed to dampen a bit, and Illya hurriedly added, "And, um, it's Chloe's birthday too!"

Chloe scoffed in response, "Definitely not."

"Uh-huh!" Illya pointed at herself and said with a smile, "Because we're one and the same! Mom decided that we should celebrate together. So, don't feel sad, because we're all here with you!"

Chloe just huffed and turned her head away.

Despite the threat of Servants and Class Cards in Fuyuki City, life continued peacefully and happily. Surprisingly, the most significant event during this time was the situation involving Gil and Chloe. Once those issues were sorted out, there wasn't much else to worry about.

Even the Servants and their Class Cards resembled those bosses in a video game, the ones you take on together as a party.

The air was buzzing with laughter and chatter, but Artoria found herself captured in Arcueid's tight hug, wearing a forlorn expression.

She was truly fed up with this woman. Ironically, she couldn't do anything about it. Her proud magical energy and strength were utterly useless in front of Arcueid. All she got was being bullied, over and over.

Back at the Fujimaru residence, dinner was done and over with. He pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper from a drawer and laid it flat on the table.

He'd done the calculations himself – in just ten more days, he'd have enough magical energy to summon the adult Eternal King.

It was a truth he had to face: while using up magical energy was quick, replenishing it was painfully slow.

With the help of the evil absorbed from countless individuals in Fuyuki City, it took nearly a month and a half for his magical reserves to barely recover to an A-level.

And now, he had to start mapping out his next move. This wasn't an ordinary battle; it was an invasion of a parallel world.

Having already collected most of the intel he needed, and with his understanding of (Fate/kaleid), he was prepared to lay the groundwork for his invasion strategy.

As Gil had aptly put it, his plans had never played out flawlessly. But then again, it was only natural, considering his enemies were not scarecrows, and the real world was rife with unforeseen obstacles. Expecting perfect plan execution would be quite naive.

Yet, it was always in the nitty-gritty execution and details that plans faltered, an inevitable part of the game. But when it came to the overarching strategy, he'd rarely missed the mark.

This time, though, he wasn't settling for just one plan. He'd prepared multiple fallbacks.

With every potential hurdle considered, the path to the endgame was becoming clearer by the moment.

A confident smile curved on his lips.