Chapter 51

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

"Waaah!"

A series of roars and cries echoed, as Rin Tohsaka watched Klee charging forward with a massive crimson greatsword in hand. Rin shot a glare at Hiroshi, then sprinted toward Klee.

"I may not know whose kid you are, but I can't just stand by and do nothing!" she yelled, placing herself between Klee and the approaching enemies. With her left hand holding several colorful gems, she stretched her arm out, flinging them at the horde of black mud spirits in front of her. As the gemstones exploded, Rin grabbed Klee's free hand and quickly said, "In the future, don't hang out with bad guys like that! Not everyone will risk their lives to save you each time."

"Huh?" Klee tilted her head to the side, holding the greatsword as she looked at the strange lady who was saying bad things about Brother Hiroshi. Though she didn't understand why this lady was calling Hiroshi names, Klee could tell she meant well.

"Rin, behind you!" Luvia's voice shouted in alarm.

Rin, still talking to Klee, looked up just in time to see her rival Luvia rushing toward her, heedless of her now exposed chest. Without even turning around, Rin already knew what was behind her.

She glared at Luvia's well-endowed figure in frustration, then shoved Klee aside. Turning to face the weapons that were coming down on her, Rin gave a resigned smile.

'Guess this is it... I just hope they leave me in one piece.'

Suddenly, a platinum flash swept past her. Sounds of bodies hitting the ground followed, and Rin, who had closed her eyes while bracing for the worst, cautiously opened them. In front of her stood Klee, blinking her big eyes curiously at her. Behind Klee, several white Chinese-style longswords were embedded in the fading black spirits.

Footsteps approached from behind. The dark-haired young man who had thrown the swords walked up to Rin, solemnly apologizing, "I'm sorry. My name is Hiroshi, and I'm Klee's older brother. Because of me, you were put in danger, and I will make it up to you."

"Hmph!" Rin snorted, turning her head away. She couldn't stand looking at this guy who called himself Klee's brother, yet put her in harm's way.

"Kind but strange big sister. The ground is dirty and cold, let Klee help you up," Klee's clear, sweet voice rang out. Rin looked at the little hand extended to her, then eyed the greatsword still held in Klee's other hand. She thought to herself, 'Is that sword just a plastic toy?'

Waving her hand dismissively, Rin smiled at Klee. "My name is Rin Tohsaka, not 'kind but strange sister.' You can call me Sister Rin, little one."

Rin's eyes widened once again as a massive black mud spirit rose from the ground behind Klee. Forgetting everything else, she yelled, "Behind you, Klee!"

She cast a desperate glance at Hiroshi, hoping he would stop the attack. But instead, he just sighed and held his forehead, showing no sign of stepping in.

A deafening crash erupted. A shockwave rippled, blowing Rin's black hair into disarray.

"Hehe!" Klee's cheerful voice chimed. Rin stared at the scene in disbelief, clutching her head as if she were about to cry. "Am I dreaming?! How are there so many monsters who fight Servants barehanded?! I mean, Shirou being a freak, I could accept... but how is an eight- or nine-year-old little girl able to swing that greatsword at Servants?!"

"Sigh..."

Hiroshi looked at Klee joyfully swinging her sword, sending black mud spirits flying everywhere. He squatted down, gently patting Rin's head. "I'm really sorry for being a freak who can physically fight Servants. You're a good person, Rin Tohsaka. To make it up to you, I'll introduce you to a magical world someday."

"Pervert!" Rin, who had been crouching down, suddenly stood up and, with her face flushed red, shouted, "Don't touch me, you freak! Who says things like that to a woman they've just met?! Are you some kind of deviant?!"

????????????????????

A series of question marks floated in Hiroshi's head. Feeling like his brain was about to split, he stared at Rin, who looked like she was ready to defend herself against him. "What kind of thinking is that?! Are your wires crossed?! You know what—forget it! I'll compensate you with a ton of Mora and gems, but I swear I never said anything about an invitation!"

He pulled the laughing Ruri Goko beside him into an embrace, burying his head in her black hair, taking a deep breath. Lifting his head, he yelled at Rin, "My wife, Ruri, is ten thousand times better than you! Why would you think I'd be interested in you?!"

*Note: In the eyes of a lover, everything about their beloved is perfect. Rin fans, please don't be mad. o(T-T)ゞ*

"Ah! He's a pervert!" Kazuma Satou's voice came from behind, as he mimicked Hiroshi. Kazuma wrapped his arms around Megumin, taking a deep breath and exclaiming, "Ah, being a pervert isn't so bad!"

Surrounded by onlookers, Megumin delivered a kidney punch to Kazuma, blushing furiously as she crouched down to cover her face. Kazuma, sprawled out behind her, gazed up under her skirt, a look of contentment on his face.

Ruri nudged Hiroshi, her cheeks flushed bright red, as she softly whispered, "Not here, Hiroshi... there are too many people. Let's save this for later, once we're back home."

"Oh!" Hiroshi's eyes seemed to light up as he gently released Ruri, a smile of triumph on his face. Taking her hand, he looked at the approaching black mud spirits and raised his right hand high, laughing as he declared:

"Please do not disturb me while I'm happy, thank you!"

As his voice fell, thunder rumbled across the sky. The previously clear sky darkened with rolling storm clouds, and lightning flickered through the gloom. Countless arcs of violet lightning danced among the clouds.

"When it gets dark and it thunders, it means rain is coming. You all should head home to collect your clothes!"

The darkened sky was instantly illuminated by countless bolts of lightning, descending in unison upon the black mud spirits.

Underneath the flashing lightning, Hiroshi stood holding Ruri's hand, steadfast amidst the heavens and earth.