From an adult's perspective, it wasn't yet late at night, but the streets were sparsely populated, making it hard to believe that this was the bustling commercial street in the future city center of Fuyuki.
The red police lights flickered in the distance, and passersby hurriedly cast strange glances. The entire street was filled with a tense atmosphere. As Rin looked at this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, she felt a faint chill enveloping her body.
"Why has it become like this?"
Naively, Rin was unaware that a curfew had been imposed in Fuyuki City.
With the series of macabre murders, child abductions, and the chain of explosions in the harbor area and the Kay Hotel, the entire Fuyuki City was shrouded in terror. The police urged citizens to reduce their outings at night and strictly prohibited going out alone. Most citizens complied with this directive.
Of course, there were always ignorant people who disregarded the curfew. As a result, the police mobilized all their forces for patrols. If they saw a citizen alone, they would approach and inquire, providing necessary "protection."
However, this measure taken to ensure the personal safety of the citizens was detrimental to Rin's actions tonight. If she were to be seen by the police, they would certainly not leave this seven-year-old girl unattended. Rin couldn't use covert magecraft yet, so getting caught by the police would mean mission failure.
Rin anxiously ducked into the shadow of a building, clutching her head.
The patrol car slowly passed by in front of her.
The revolving lights disappeared into the distant darkness, and Rin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She cautiously took out her mana pointer.
The reaction of the pointer surprised her.
Under normal circumstances, the pointer would simply sway and tremble lightly, but tonight, it was busy spinning in circles. Rin had never seen such a phenomenon before. The needle seemed to be behaving chaotically, casting a shadow of unease over Rin's heart.
Just as she was at a loss, a man appeared in her field of vision.
He wore a flashy purple shirt, and the metallic accessories around his neck and waist gleamed with an icy luster. The man's smile seemed sunny, but for some reason, Rin couldn't shake off the feeling that this man was dangerous, just like the dangerous magecraft books in her father's workshop.
When Rin first came into contact with magecraft, she had been curious and wanted to open one of those magecraft books. She had almost been possessed by an evil spirit as a result. This man gave her the same feeling.
Rin curled up in the shadow, hoping not to be noticed by this man.
Indeed, the man didn't notice anyone watching him. His attention was completely focused on the boy beside him.
The boy was about the same age as Rin, with droopy eyelids and a tired appearance.
The man held the boy's hand and gently said, "Come on, let's walk properly."
After the man disappeared from her field of vision, Rin naturally looked down and glanced at the mana pointer.
The pointer was motionless. The needle seemed frozen, pointing directly at something inside the alley.
There was something there, an obvious anomaly exuding magical energy.
"..."
Wasn't this what she was looking for?
She had found a clue so quickly, what a lucky start.
Rin planned to search suspicious locations in the city one by one, confirming the whereabouts of Kotone's presence. And now, she had found the first location.
Unconsciously, Rin swallowed nervously, fixating her gaze on the direction pointed by the mana pointer. She stealthily made her way towards the depths of the alley.
Lost in her concentration, she overlooked her surroundings. While walking, her body accidentally collided with a trash bin in the middle of the alley. The movement of the trash bin caused a nearby stack of miscellaneous bags to topple over, which then knocked into a broom and mop leaning against the side.
Clatter.
Thud.
Clang.
A series of sounds reverberated through the deserted alley in the night, sounding particularly clear.
Rin was startled by the sudden noise. Trembling, she huddled behind the trash bin, cautiously observing if anyone had noticed her.
Whether it was because the alley was too secluded or Rin was lucky, such an obvious noise did not attract anyone's attention.
Rin let out a long sigh of relief, repeatedly reminding herself to be careful and always maintain composure and elegance.
Silently navigating through the obstacles made up of miscellaneous items and cleaning tools, Rin arrived at the other side of the alley.
There, she saw the same man as before, with the same uncomfortable smile and the same posture of holding a boy's hand. However, now the boy he was leading had become two.
"Two?" Rin widened her sapphire-like eyes. "How did the children multiply?"
Confirming the mana pointer once again, the needle rotated as the man moved. This man was the source of the magical energy.
Magical energy, magus, abduction... these words flashed alternately in Rin's mind.
She remembered her father mentioning the "Holy Grail War."
She recalled the conversation with her mother during dinner and her mother's evasive answers about Kotone.
Rin didn't want to forget about Kotone, nor would she abandon her friend. She was a member of the Tohsaka family with its ancient history, and she had to prove her ability to become her father's successor with courage.
"No, I can't hide. I can't accomplish anything like this!"
Rin kept encouraging herself, and finally, courage overcame her fear of the unknown. She clenched her small fists and walked out of the alley, running along the guidance of the mana pointer.
Passing through a bustling street filled with shops and running through an unfinished development area, Rin arrived at a street illuminated by neon lights and lined with bars.
This place belonged to adults, not somewhere an underage child should be. But the pointer unmistakably pointed here, and Rin didn't pay attention to where she had ended up.
The pointer began to rotate again, and the dial trembled incessantly, causing her hands to tingle.
This time, Rin had no doubts. She knew that the rotation of the pointer was different from before.
Because the target was below, the horizontally placed pointer didn't know how to indicate.
"I found it!"
Rin held the mana pointer in one hand and tightly clasped two crystal shards, which served as her weapons. She entered the dimly lit staircase.
At the end of the stairs was an unlocked basement. Bathed in the residual light from emergency and safety exit signs, Rin saw neatly arranged tables, chairs, and items inside. It seemed to be a closed-down underground bar.
The silence in the storage room was eerie, and even the faint sound of the mana pointer's rotation was audible here.
"It seems like no one's here," Rin whispered in a voice only she could hear as she stepped into the bar.
Suddenly, she felt her foot touch something soft, and warm.
It was a person, a girl around her age, dressed in a uniform that Rin was very familiar with—a uniform she wore every day to school.
Rin turned the motionless girl over and saw her face, a face even more familiar than the uniform.
"Kotone!"
From an adult's perspective, it wasn't yet late at night, but the streets were sparsely populated, making it hard to believe that this was the bustling commercial street in the future city center of Fuyuki.
The red police lights flickered in the distance, and passersby hurriedly cast strange glances. The entire street was filled with a tense atmosphere. As Rin looked at this familiar yet unfamiliar scene, she felt a faint chill enveloping her body.
"Why has it become like this?"
Naively, Rin was unaware that a curfew had been imposed in Fuyuki City.
With the series of macabre murders, child abductions, and the chain of explosions in the harbor area and the Kay Hotel, the entire Fuyuki City was shrouded in terror. The police urged citizens to reduce their outings at night and strictly prohibited going out alone. Most citizens complied with this directive.
Of course, there were always ignorant people who disregarded the curfew. As a result, the police mobilized all their forces for patrols. If they saw a citizen alone, they would approach and inquire, providing necessary "protection."
However, this measure taken to ensure the personal safety of the citizens was detrimental to Rin's actions tonight. If she were to be seen by the police, they would certainly not leave this seven-year-old girl unattended. Rin couldn't use covert magecraft yet, so getting caught by the police would mean mission failure.
Rin anxiously ducked into the shadow of a building, clutching her head.
The patrol car slowly passed by in front of her.
The revolving lights disappeared into the distant darkness, and Rin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She cautiously took out her mana pointer.
The reaction of the pointer surprised her.
Under normal circumstances, the pointer would simply sway and tremble lightly, but tonight, it was busy spinning in circles. Rin had never seen such a phenomenon before. The needle seemed to be behaving chaotically, casting a shadow of unease over Rin's heart.
Just as she was at a loss, a man appeared in her field of vision.
He wore a flashy purple shirt, and the metallic accessories around his neck and waist gleamed with an icy luster. The man's smile seemed sunny, but for some reason, Rin couldn't shake off the feeling that this man was dangerous, just like the dangerous magecraft books in her father's workshop.
When Rin first came into contact with magecraft, she had been curious and wanted to open one of those magecraft books. She had almost been possessed by an evil spirit as a result. This man gave her the same feeling.
Rin curled up in the shadow, hoping not to be noticed by this man.
Indeed, the man didn't notice anyone watching him. His attention was completely focused on the boy beside him.
The boy was about the same age as Rin, with droopy eyelids and a tired appearance.
The man held the boy's hand and gently said, "Come on, let's walk properly."
After the man disappeared from her field of vision, Rin naturally looked down and glanced at the mana pointer.
The pointer was motionless. The needle seemed frozen, pointing directly at something inside the alley.
There was something there, an obvious anomaly exuding magical energy.
"..."
Wasn't this what she was looking for?
She had found a clue so quickly, what a lucky start.
Rin planned to search suspicious locations in the city one by one, confirming the whereabouts of Kotone's presence. And now, she had found the first location.
Unconsciously, Rin swallowed nervously, fixating her gaze on the direction pointed by the mana pointer. She stealthily made her way towards the depths of the alley.
Lost in her concentration, she overlooked her surroundings. While walking, her body accidentally collided with a trash bin in the middle of the alley. The movement of the trash bin caused a nearby stack of miscellaneous bags to topple over, which then knocked into a broom and mop leaning against the side.
Clatter.
Thud.
Clang.
A series of sounds reverberated through the deserted alley in the night, sounding particularly clear.
Rin was startled by the sudden noise. Trembling, she huddled behind the trash bin, cautiously observing if anyone had noticed her.
Whether it was because the alley was too secluded or Rin was lucky, such an obvious noise did not attract anyone's attention.
Rin let out a long sigh of relief, repeatedly reminding herself to be careful and always maintain composure and elegance.
Silently navigating through the obstacles made up of miscellaneous items and cleaning tools, Rin arrived at the other side of the alley.
There, she saw the same man as before, with the same uncomfortable smile and the same posture of holding a boy's hand. However, now the boy he was leading had become two.
"Two?" Rin widened her sapphire-like eyes. "How did the children multiply?"
Confirming the mana pointer once again, the needle rotated as the man moved. This man was the source of the magical energy.
Magical energy, magus, abduction... these words flashed alternately in Rin's mind.
She remembered her father mentioning the "Holy Grail War."
She recalled the conversation with her mother during dinner and her mother's evasive answers about Kotone.
Rin didn't want to forget about Kotone, nor would she abandon her friend. She was a member of the Tohsaka family with its ancient history, and she had to prove her ability to become her father's successor with courage.
"No, I can't hide. I can't accomplish anything like this!"
Rin kept encouraging herself, and finally, courage overcame her fear of the unknown. She clenched her small fists and walked out of the alley, running along the guidance of the mana pointer.
Passing through a bustling street filled with shops and running through an unfinished development area, Rin arrived at a street illuminated by neon lights and lined with bars.
This place belonged to adults, not somewhere an underage child should be. But the pointer unmistakably pointed here, and Rin didn't pay attention to where she had ended up.
The pointer began to rotate again, and the dial trembled incessantly, causing her hands to tingle.
This time, Rin had no doubts. She knew that the rotation of the pointer was different from before.
Because the target was below, the horizontally placed pointer didn't know how to indicate.
"I found it!"
Rin held the mana pointer in one hand and tightly clasped two crystal shards, which served as her weapons. She entered the dimly lit staircase.
At the end of the stairs was an unlocked basement. Bathed in the residual light from emergency and safety exit signs, Rin saw neatly arranged tables, chairs, and items inside. It seemed to be a closed-down underground bar.
The silence in the storage room was eerie, and even the faint sound of the mana pointer's rotation was audible here.
"It seems like no one's here," Rin whispered in a voice only she could hear as she stepped into the bar.
Suddenly, she felt her foot touch something soft, and warm.
It was a person, a girl around her age, dressed in a uniform that Rin was very familiar with—a uniform she wore every day to school.
Rin turned the motionless girl over and saw her face, a face even more familiar than the uniform.
"Kotone!"
