Chapter 26: Day 7 ④

Until I got to school, I was terrified, wondering how much I'd be interrogated about Tohsaka. But what I'd expected didn't happen.

In fact, even when I finally mustered the courage to step into the classroom and greet everyone, only two or three students nearby noticed me. The other students were glued to their desks, just sitting there. No one seemed to have the room to care about others, and my usually noisy classroom was subdued.

It seemed that Mitsuzuri, who was inside this bounded field and only affected to that extent, was special compared to other people. Even Fujii-nee wasn't her usual energetic self, acting more like a typical teacher, so the situation appeared more serious than I had thought.

Inside the classroom, the colors seemed faded. The clock's hour hand was past '12', and the noon chime would ring any minute now. The air on the school grounds was heavy, and probably, no, definitely, the situation was worse than it had been that morning.

Only the teacher's voice, reading from a textbook, echoed through the room. Not a single student spoke; they were all spaced out. It wasn't just one student who felt sick midway through and headed to the infirmary; four students had left their seats just that morning.

The only unusual presence in this classroom was Mr. Kuzuki, teaching at the front desk. He was so unchanged from his usual self that it was almost as if he was immune to it. Was he, like Mitsuzuri, the type who wasn't much affected?

I looked around the classroom, noticing several empty seats. The seats of the students who had gone to the infirmary, and Shinji's seat.

Shinji still hadn't come to school; his seat had been empty since morning. In a chain reaction, the face of Sakura, Shinji's sister, floated into my mind, and I remembered that morning.

Right after HR ended, Tohsaka and I used the break time to check on the younger students' class where Sakura was enrolled, but Sakura's seat was empty.

I grabbed a female student near the entrance and asked, and just as Mitsuzuri had said, there had been no contact about her absence, and she still hadn't arrived at school.

What was surprising then was Tohsaka's reaction. When she heard from the female student that Sakura wasn't there, Tohsaka bit her thumbnail and furrowed her brow, lost in thought. Tohsaka, who always handled things so calmly, was visibly disturbed like that.

Tohsaka, a Magus so much so that comparing her to me, a mere magecragt-user, would be rude. I had thought she might feel sorry for Sakura, but I hadn't expected her to be so upset.

But I was just as agitated. I had kept Sakura away from my house to keep her safe and out of trouble, but now it felt like it had been for nothing.

No, it's not confirmed that she's involved yet. Maybe they're both absent with the flu that's going around the Matou household. And maybe they just forgot to contact the school.

Ah, yes. Once I dispel the school's bounded field, I should go to Shinji's house first. They might be sick, so I'll go check on them under the guise of a visit.

That's why I need to resolve this bounded field situation quickly. Until this problem is dealt with, I can't even go check on Shinji and Sakura.

Furthermore, if I leave it, everyone at school, who has nothing to do with the Holy Grail War, will get caught up in it. I absolutely must prevent that.

We had decided beforehand that I would check the separate buildings like the kyudo dojo and the grounds in the morning when there were no students, and then the main building where the classrooms are in the afternoon once students had gone home or to club activities.

It was almost noon now, and I had checked all the separate buildings, but no magic circle had been found.

Not finding it only increased my impatience. Driven by urgency, I ran around the grounds, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Yet, I made no progress. So, I became even more anxious. It was a perfect vicious cycle.

If I'm this rushed, I'll overlook something important.

Anyway, I can't move during class. The most I can do is use my head. Precisely because I'm reacting, I need to calm down. I need to be a little more composed and organize the information about the Master who set up this bounded field.

First, their intent. The fact that they deliberately set up a bounded field in a place where many people gather easily suggests that their target is "many people."

Tohsaka and Illya seem to act only at night—at least, they fight during deserted hours or in deserted places—but that Master isn't within that scope.

If they activated it at night, the students would be home, so, considering their objective, the activation timing should be during the day.

However, there's something I just can't understand.

—Magecraft is to be kept secret. That is an unwritten rule among Magus. One might not expect common sense from Magus, but even in such a world, there are rules.

Yet the opponent is trying to do this in a public place, in plain sight. Even if it's the Holy Grail War, I don't think a normal Magus would take such a risk, but I can't say for sure since I can't proudly call myself a Magus either.

Also, there's another incomprehensible thing. Although I don't know the specifics, according to Tohsaka, even forming a single magic circle involves various elements like layout, distance, height, and ley line flow, so one needs to be quite familiar with the internal structure.

It would be impossible to construct such a spell unless one was a school official who could come and go freely, wouldn't it?

That being the case, the school officials who are also Masters with Servants are me, Tohsaka, and Shinji. Beyond that, it's merely a possibility, but perhaps Issei, who lives at Ryuudou Temple, said to be Caster's base? Or perhaps there's an unseen Master.

"That's all for today."

At that voice, my thoughts were interrupted, and I looked up. Just as if on cue, the sound of a bell rang from the speaker. Mr. Kuzuki was at the teacher's desk, gathering his teaching materials. Even at a time like this, he was punctual.

The students reacted to the external stimulus, looking around strangely. From here and there, I heard voices like, "Huh? Is it lunchtime already?"

I'd decided to check the rooftop during lunch break and eat lunch with Tohsaka there. As Mr. Kuzuki opened the classroom door in my peripheral vision, I, too, was about to stand up with my lunchbox in hand to head to the rooftop—

For a moment, all sensation in my body vanished.

My legs gave out, and I knelt, unable to fight gravity. My body felt as heavy as lead.

My stomach churned on its own, and a sensation of nausea filled my body. Because of that, I couldn't breathe properly.

My back was soaked with cold sweat, and greasy sweat poured from my forehead.

And everything was red. Everything I saw was stained crimson.

As my vision tilted, I saw all the students who had been at their desks falling to the floor.

At the classroom door, even Mr. Kuzuki, who had been acting as if nothing was wrong just moments ago, was on his knees.

Did the bounded field... activate?

The floor slowly approached. No, was it me who was falling?

It felt as if the vitality was draining from my body. No, this must be the effect of this bounded field.

No, I can't collapse here. If I don't move here, when will I?

"Synchronization, commence—"

I activated my Magic Circuits, generating magical energy. I circulated it through my body, slightly hindering the external plundering.

If I hadn't had the concept of a switch, I wouldn't have been able to concentrate in this environment, would have failed to activate the circuits, and would have been writhing in agony.

Even though it was mitigated, I wasn't unaffected by the bounded field. I mustered my strength to stand up, pushed open the door, and stumbled out into the hallway.

Then, suddenly, my left hand, where the Command Spell was engraved, began to ache. The pain was warning me that a threat was lurking nearby.

I couldn't pinpoint the location. But, anyway, it was bad to be here. Driven by that intuition, I disregarded everything and leaped to the left with all my might.

Thud, a hard sound reached my ears from behind.

I rolled down the hallway, pushed myself up, and turned around. A ridiculously large silver nail was stuck exactly where I had been moments ago.

"Hmph, why did Emiya of all people manage to dodge that?"

A familiar voice echoed in the hallway. It was a voice I knew well. There was no mistaking it.

"—Shinji!"

"You ambushed him, and you couldn't even catch one unarmed Master? So much for being a Servant, you're just a Rider, after all."

Shinji ignored my words as if he hadn't heard me, muttering to himself.

"Could it be that you made this bounded field—"

"Hah, even a fool like you must have figured it out, right? It's definitely me, Matou Shinji!"

Shinji announced it loudly. He seemed elated, grinning incessantly.

"I wanted to make it as soon as possible, but Rider kept saying she didn't have enough magical energy, so I had to get it from somewhere else. Honestly, I was put through unnecessary trouble myself."

Pulled by the chain directly connected to the nail, it rattled as it returned to its owner's hand. That ridiculously large thing was already something you could call a short sword.

The one holding it was a woman. Long purple hair, taller than me.

And the aura of death she wore.

Danger, danger, danger, danger, danger—

Alarm bells rang loudly in my head. My instincts screamed desperately.

That is not something to fight. A battle with that would be impossible; I would only be unilaterally killed.

"...Wait a minute. You 'got it from somewhere else'?"

"Ah, Emiya, haven't you been watching the news? I think it was '14 missing women in Fuyuki City', wasn't it? ...Oh, two haven't been reported yet, so it's still '12'. It's laughable, isn't it? There's no way 12 people could go missing from the same town in such a short period."

Shinji laughed as he said this. He waved Rider back and stepped forward. He himself was completely open, but Rider behind him didn't relax her guard.

I had ruled Shinji out because he had said otherwise, but Shinji perfectly matched the conditions I had observed earlier.

A school official and a Master. If someone said I didn't have a feeling of "I knew it," it would be a lie. Still, I didn't want to suspect him.

However, all I knew now was that I couldn't forgive Shinji, who had killed people. But before that, I had to confirm something with Shinji.

"Is Sakura safe?"

"Ha! You're worried about someone like her when your own life is in danger? You're such a softie, Emiya."

"Answer the question, Shinji."

"Are you ordering me, Emiya? Don't be ridiculous. Do you even know your place?"

Shinji's face twisted visibly at my words, expressing displeasure with his entire body. He clicked his tongue, bit his lip, and looked down at me.

"Ah—it was about Sakura, wasn't it?"

But he seemed to have thought of something and, in a sudden change, put on a distorted smile. The moment I saw it, a chill ran down my spine.

"Don't worry, she's probably tired and sleeping at home right now? Hahaha! I did her until she stopped reacting. She was always crying, that useless girl! So annoying!"

"—Huh?"

My emotions raged, and my vision first turned pure white.

—Had my ears gone bad?

"Emiya, you supposedly told her she didn't need to come anymore. Honestly, I was getting irritated by her idiotic attitude! Every time something happened, it was 'Senpai, Senpai,' sniffling and whimpering!"

"............"

My brain belatedly recognized the meaning of his words.

Reflexively, click, the sound of the hammer striking again echoed in my head. It was hot. The blood in my body felt like it was boiling.

"Oh, and while I was pinning her down, she was desperately calling out your name, you know. She was annoying, so I just punched her to shut her up!"

"............"

I had reached my limit. My vision turned red. Of course, that wasn't due to the bounded field, but—

"What? You and Tohsaka are probably getting along fine anyway, right? Tohsaka must have some serious technique if she dumped me for you. Hmph, Emiya must be getting some action too."

"Enough. Shut up."

With an overflowing rage.

In an instant, I bolted. My body exploded forward. I felt vibrations, like something tearing, in various places in my thighs and calves.

Shinji was about ten meters away. Was it the rebound from unknowingly using magical reinforcement to close half that distance in a single stride?

"What! Rider, stop Emiya—!"

Shinji seemed to be saying something, but I couldn't hear it. It didn't reach my ears.

The woman, Rider, threw her nail-sword at me, but I leaned forward and dodged it. I used that momentum to step forward, accelerating even more.

Shinji couldn't move. I wouldn't give him time to escape.

Perhaps she hadn't expected me to accelerate from there, as the Servant's movements paused for a moment.

She quickly recovered, manipulated the chain, and rapidly closed in on me. The chain wrapped around my right arm, which I had swung back fiercely.

"Gah!"

A dull thud and a short scream, Shinji was sent flying, leaving an impact in my fist. Unable to dodge or block my punch, he took it to the face, tumbled spectacularly down the hallway, and fell face down.

A split second later, the chain was reeled in, and my punching arm was immobilized. The iron-lustered nail moved like a living thing. I instinctively tried to retreat to create distance from Rider, but I couldn't.

"What—!?"

A nail was already pierced through my left bicep, and my body was being forcibly pulled.

The nail had pierced through my arm, its tip visible from the other side. Reeled in by the chain, I was thrown into the air and then slammed to the floor with incredible force.

The pain returned to my left arm as if on cue.

"Hah!"

Air leaked from my lungs. My back hit hard, making it difficult to breathe. My pierced arm ached. It burned hotly.

"Rider! Hang Emiya upside down!"

Shinji had somehow gotten up and was wiping his mouth with his uniform sleeve. His mouth was red with nosebleed, and his face was stained with hatred.

"Ugh—gi, ah!?"

The chain rattled, and my body was lifted. All my weight rested on my left arm, and the unbearable pain made me scream.

I tried to pull out the nail with my right hand, but it was constricted by the chain, so it didn't work. To at least ease the pain, I held the chain to support my weight. Sometime earlier, the nail on the opposite side had pierced the ceiling, leaving my body dangling in mid-air.

The Servant, Rider, merely stood behind Shinji, who was approaching.

"I thought I'd kill you easily for old times' sake, but no more."

Shinji's raised fist struck my unprotected stomach.

"Gaah...!"

It hurt. Incredibly, excruciatingly painful. My arm, it was going to tear off...!

The impact loosened my right hand, and my weight shifted to my left arm. Enduring the pain, I desperately exerted force with my right arm to lessen my weight.

"I've hated you for a long time!"

"Guh...!?"

But before I could recover, a dull sound echoed, and Shinji's fist slammed into my side.

My body swayed, and the vibration made my left arm creak.

"Why you, Tohsaka?! There's nothing I'm inferior to this guy in!"

"...!"

Shinji's kick landed in my solar plexus. I couldn't breathe. Gastric acid surged back up.

"Thinking like that, you are hopelessly inferior to Shirou, Matou-kun."

"...Tohsaka!"

At the end of the hallway was Tohsaka. She had rushed from behind Shinji, so I hadn't noticed her approach. Coming down the stairs, it seemed she had been waiting for me on the rooftop.

She glanced at me and then confronted Shinji.

"Finally decided to show up. I've been waiting for you, Tohsaka."

The distance between Tohsaka and Shinji was, by estimation, less than fifteen meters. Rider stood by Shinji's side.

"Oh my, Matou-kun, you've become quite the handsome man in the short time I haven't seen you."

"—! ...Hah, I'm tolerant, so I'll overlook a little verbal abuse."

Shinji said, wiping his nosebleed.

"So, Tohsaka. I want to propose an alliance to you. Looking at this situation, you must think it's more beneficial to ally with me than with a weakling like Emiya, right?"

"—"

Tohsaka didn't answer. Her mouth was closed as she glared at Shinji.

"Oh, I see. Are you feeling bad because you neglected me? You must have had your reasons, right? Like Emiya harassing you or something."

"—"

"This might be the first time I've ever condescended this much. Tohsaka, you really are lucky!"

Hah, she let out a sigh and looked down at Shinji.

"—Sorry, Matou-kun, but I have absolutely no intention of allying with you. And I will never be inclined to ally with you."

A definitive rejection. Tohsaka's blunt words left Shinji speechless.

"Because if it raises my win rate, then fine... but why would I ally with someone who would actually lower it?"

"—Ha, hahaha."

Only Shinji's dry laughter echoed in the empty hallway, other than us.

"...Oh, I see. I understand. Hey, Rider. Looking at this guy is just so irritating. Kill him. Throw him out the window, smash him on the ground."

"Understood, Master."

"Shirou!"

I don't know what happened, but the next moment I was thrown through the window glass and into the air. The nail had been pulled from my left arm at some point, scattering blood.

I looked back toward the school building and saw Tohsaka, with a furious expression, screaming my name.