Chapter 144: The Matou Siblings

**Matou Sakura** was a member of the archery club. Every morning, she had to wake up earlier than her classmates. Before heading to school for archery practice, she would go to the **Emiya household** to prepare breakfast, and only then would she head to school for archery training. The training would last until just before classes began, at which point everyone would disperse and return to their classrooms to prepare for the day's lessons.

Her days were spent studying, and after school, she would continue with archery practice. Once the after-school training was over, Sakura would quickly leave the school and head to the **"Yae Mart"**, a store she frequented, to buy the vegetables needed for the day. After that, she would go to the Emiya household to prepare dinner.

Compared to the Matou mansion, Sakura preferred the Emiya household's yard.

Recently, while shopping at Yae Mart, she had met a rather peculiar outsider. It was a woman who seemed to be at the forefront of fashion trends. Her outfits changed every day, yet no matter what she wore, it always looked perfect on her.

How could such a woman exist? In terms of femininity, Sakura felt utterly defeated by her. Moreover, the woman's personality was more outgoing and enthusiastic than her own.

Someone like her would naturally be more likable, right?

However, according to the woman herself, her relationship with her "dear one" had hit a snag. Just like Sakura.

Even such a perfect woman could be troubled by love?

"Sakura-chan, we meet again."

Approaching her was a mature woman with pink hair. Today, she was wearing a **sailor uniform**? The kind you see in movies where high school girls wield machine guns. Wow… it suited her so well.

She looked even more like a high school girl than Sakura did.

Sakura hid her thoughts and smiled softly. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Koyanskaya."

"Sakura-chan is as adorable as ever. I'm so envious of your soft, smooth skin."

Suddenly, Sakura found herself pulled into Koyanskaya's embrace. The woman was about 10 centimeters taller than her, making it impossible for Sakura to break free.

—She was almost getting used to Koyanskaya doing this.

"Miss Koyanskaya's skin is also very nice."

"No, no, it's Sakura-chan's skin that's better. And your figure is great too. Sakura-chan still has room to grow. I wonder who will be lucky enough to win your heart?"

Sakura felt herself being released. She could hear the owner of Yae Mart saying, "Sakura and Miss Koyanskaya seem to be getting along so well."

In just a few days, Sakura had grown close to her, reaching the level of a trusted friend. She had shared many intimate thoughts with Koyanskaya, such as her feelings for her senpai. She hadn't even told **Fujimura-sensei** about these things.

Every day was another chance to share secrets with her new friend.

After buying the ingredients for the day and chatting with Koyanskaya, Sakura headed toward the Emiya household. It seemed Koyanskaya lived in the same direction, so they could walk together.

"Sakura-chan, tomorrow is Saturday. Do you have any plans?"

"Tomorrow? I have to go to school for archery practice. Are you asking if I'll come to the shopping street tomorrow, Miss Koyanskaya?"

"Bingo! That's exactly it. Sakura-chan is such a thoughtful girl."

"It's not like that…" Sakura lowered her head, her voice unconsciously softening.

What she didn't see was the sly smile on Koyanskaya's lips as she said, "Sakura-chan, how about coming to my place today?"

"Huh? That would be too much trouble…"

Sakura looked up, about to refuse, when she suddenly heard, "Sorry, Sakura-chan."

Her vision went dark, and she fainted.

Koyanskaya glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then effortlessly carried the unconscious Sakura toward **Mount Enzou**. With her Servant physique, it was no trouble at all.

---

The Matou siblings were two completely different people. The younger sister, **Matou Sakura**, though a member of the archery club, was always calm and reserved. Her presence at school was low-key, and she tended to stay in the background. In contrast, her older brother, **Matou Shinji**, was flamboyant and attention-seeking, always trying to show off in front of his classmates. His decision to join the archery club was partly because it was a perfect stage for him to stand out.

Shinji's reputation among the boys wasn't great, and among the girls, it was mixed. Some girls disliked him, while others were quite fond of his personality.

Shinji thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the latter. He had left the archery club's cleaning duties to the ever-dependable **Emiya Shirou** while he went off with a group of girls.

He reveled in the laughter and attention.

Especially on the bustling streets of the New Town, shopping with the girls and basking in their admiration felt like the best thing in the world. To him, being a goody-two-shoes like Emiya was laughable.

"Who are you? Why are you blocking our way?"

While Shinji was engrossed in chatting with his female classmates, a tall figure stepped in front of him.

Well, the person wasn't much taller than him—just a few centimeters—but their presence completely overwhelmed him, making him feel suppressed.

"Do you even know who I am?" Shinji shouted.

Under normal circumstances, the surrounding pedestrians would have turned to look. However… Shinji was shocked to find that no one seemed to notice them at all, as if they were invisible.

**Magecraft**. This was the effect of magecraft!

The person in front of him was a magus!

The only magus currently in Fuyuki City would be a participant in the **Holy Grail War**…

Shinji's thoughts were cut off. He lost his vision.

"Ladies, in your minds, Matou Shinji just left with an old acquaintance of mine."

Using **suggestion magecraft**, Li Mo altered the memories of Shinji's companions. The girls paused for a moment, then continued chatting among themselves and walked away.

"This was easier than I expected. So, **Rider** isn't here? And I didn't run into **Gilgamesh** either."

Running into Gilgamesh in the New Town was a low-probability event. Fuyuki City was large enough that it was unlikely he'd encounter him again.

Maintaining the magecraft that made others ignore him, Li Mo carried the unconscious Shinji toward Mount Enzou. Surprisingly… **Rider** wasn't by Shinji's side.

What did he think the Holy Grail War was? Li Mo had originally expected to have a confrontation with Rider. If that had happened, he would have had to move the battle to the outskirts to avoid involving civilians.

"All my contingency plans are useless now. Miss Medea, let's head back to Mount Enzou."

"Understood."

Medea's voice echoed softly in the air.