Chapter 375

Chapter 375: Chapter 375

The meal ended beneath that strangely charged atmosphere.

Afterward, Sakura automatically began clearing the dishes while Kiriya headed to the study and brought out several grimoires he had taken from the Matou family’s main workshop, intending to go through them with Caster.

Before they could get very far, however, Esdeath eagerly grabbed him and suggested they go wandering through Fuyuki in hopes of finding an isolated Servant to fight.

Kiriya found that prospect considerably more entertaining than spending the entire evening buried in books, so he simply created a Shadow Clone and left it behind to help with the research.

The real Kiriya wrapped an arm around Esdeath’s slender waist and prepared to leave with her.

Caster clearly wanted to tag along.

Unfortunately, Ryuu immediately crushed that hope.

"Caster, have you finished analyzing the Greater Grail ritual?"

One sentence from the Shadow Clone was enough to make Medea wilt.

She watched Kiriya and Esdeath leave with a pitiful expression, then reluctantly shuffled over to the desk and buried herself beneath the mountain of books.

A mocking smile appeared on Rider’s face.

’A Caster who only joined today actually thinks she can just slip in between them?’

’How naive. You haven’t earned that privilege yet.’

With that thought, Medusa prepared to dematerialize and follow them herself.

Before she could, however, a hand settled firmly on her shoulder.

"Rider, I found an interesting card game. Why don’t you play with us?"

Medusa stiffened.

When she turned around, she found Ryuu and Jeanne smiling at her with extraordinary enthusiasm.

Her little scheme had clearly been seen through.

With no other option, she reluctantly sat down and waited for the cards to be dealt.

Ryuu and Jeanne exchanged a knowing glance.

When it came to these newly arrived female Servants, the three women who had traveled with Kiriya were naturally on the same side.

There was a limited supply of what they privately regarded as "Kiriya time," and they had every intention of protecting their share.

Their solution was simple.

One of them would spend time alone with Kiriya while the others refrained from interfering.

If anyone else tried to disrupt that time, the remaining two would be responsible for stopping them.

That had been the arrangement when Ryuu went out with him earlier.

Now it was Esdeath’s turn.

Eventually, Jeanne would have hers as well.

Everything was for the sake of enjoying some uninterrupted time alone with Kiriya.

Rider could naturally sense the smug satisfaction radiating from the two women across from her, and she ground her teeth in frustration.

That bastard had taken shameless advantage of her in the dream and then simply moved on as though nothing had happened, spending the next day flirting with another woman without even sparing her a second glance.

How was that any different from those heartless scumbags who disappeared the moment they got what they wanted?

As for the fact that Medusa had been the one who invaded his dream without permission and had received an enormous amount of magical energy in the process...

Her subconscious conveniently omitted that part.

If she possessed Sakura’s temperament, she might have quietly endured the disappointment and waited for Kiriya’s attention to eventually return to her.

But she was Rider.

When Medusa wanted something, she preferred taking the initiative.

And so her determination to carry out her plan of completely exhausting Kiriya inside another dream became even stronger.

What Rider herself failed to notice was that her fixation on a certain man was growing deeper by the day.

...

"So?"

Walking along the streets of Fuyuki, Esdeath had one arm wrapped around Kiriya’s and wore a teasing smile.

"Are you disappointed you didn’t get to stay behind and flirt with that sweet little Caster?"

"Hm?"

Kiriya looked genuinely confused.

"Where did that come from? She’s just a useful tool helping me decipher the Greater Grail ritual."

"Really?"

Esdeath curled her lips.

"There are many different ways to use a tool, you know."

"Wow, Esdeath."

Kiriya rolled his eyes.

"Your thinking has become increasingly... progressive."

"Hehe. I had an excellent teacher."

Esdeath answered without hesitation.

"Teacher Kiriya has taught me well."

"..."

Kiriya had no comeback.

That one really was his fault.

Esdeath had once assumed there were only so many ways men and women could enjoy themselves together.

After spending enough time around Kiriya and absorbing his influence, however, an entirely new world had opened before her.

Naturally, her knowledge in certain areas had grown increasingly broad.

Her ability to steer a conversation in dangerous directions had become frighteningly polished.

Still, while Kiriya might admit responsibility for broadening her horizons, he refused to accept blame for things he hadn’t actually done.

"I swear I haven’t crossed any lines with her."

His expression became solemn.

"Medea and I are completely innocent."

"I wouldn’t care even if you had."

Esdeath’s reply was surprisingly casual.

Then she ran her tongue lightly across the corner of her lips.

"As long as you still have enough left for my share."

"..."

Kiriya’s gaze unconsciously settled on her moist lips.

"So are we looking for a Servant first, or fighting first?"

"Let’s walk around for a while. If we don’t find anyone interesting, we can always find somewhere to relax."

Esdeath smiled.

"I heard the hotels in this world have some rather distinctive themes."

For a long time, Esdeath had wanted to defeat Kiriya through strength and turn the tables on him completely.

Unfortunately, his talent and rate of growth were simply too ridiculous.

No matter how much stronger she became, the gap never seemed to close enough for her to see any real hope of victory.

Since she couldn’t reclaim the upper hand on the battlefield, she had decided to try another kind of battlefield instead.

She had heard that couples in this world occasionally indulged in role-playing games.

Perhaps then...

she might finally get the chance to play the master for once.

"Hm?"

Kiriya actually stopped walking.

His expression became strange.

He knew the principle of adapting to local customs, but Esdeath seemed to be adapting a little too quickly.

She even knew about love hotels already?

"I happened to see something about them on television and asked Sakura what they were."

Esdeath couldn’t help laughing at the memory.

"That girl turned so red I thought steam was going to come out of her ears."

As though some peculiar switch had been flipped, Esdeath began enthusiastically recounting everything she had learned from modern television, occasionally adding her own commentary.

And so, beneath the lights of Fuyuki at night, a tall, handsome young man and a strikingly beautiful, cold-looking woman wandered casually through the streets while talking and laughing.

Esdeath’s cheerful laughter occasionally drifted into the night sky, drawing countless glances from passersby.

Most people were quickly struck by the pair’s appearance and presence, naturally assuming that the swords hanging at their waists were merely part of some elaborate cosplay.

Neither Kiriya nor Esdeath bothered correcting them.

They continued walking without any particular destination until they eventually reached a secluded wooded area near the outskirts of the city.

Looking over the enormous cemetery stretching ahead, Esdeath raised an eyebrow.

"Kiriya, what are we doing here?"

"Looking for a certain pair of tax evaders."

Kiriya answered casually.

"Figured we might as well stop by and say hello."

"Just say hello?"

Esdeath gave him a knowing smile.

"Of course."

Kiriya’s own smile became equally meaningful.

"My greetings simply tend to be... very enthusiastic."

One of the two people he had come looking for was a genuine madman—someone seemingly born without much attraction toward ordinary goodness, yet instinctively drawn toward ugliness and evil.

The other had reached the absolute pinnacle of arrogant delusion, dismissing virtually everyone in existence as worthless mongrels while looking down upon the entire world.

Kiriya was extremely curious.

What would happen if he shattered the shells those two had always hidden behind?

Would they become furious?

Would they rage helplessly?

Or perhaps...

would their reactions be something even more entertaining?

Whatever happened, Kiriya suspected the scene would be very enjoyable indeed.

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