Type-Moon, but the Servant is Tom

Inside a villa in Fuyuki City, intense sounds of "battle" could be heard.

"Boom! Smack! Noble Phantasm!"

"KO!"

"Hehehehe, as expected of me, even I'm afraid of my own gaming skills." The blond man, with one hand supporting his forehead, laughed loudly. "It's still too early for anyone to reach my level. Sakura, hahaha!"

"Ah, I died." A black-haired little girl expressionlessly put down her controller and looked at the screen where her controlled character was defeated. Then she glanced at the arrogant blond man beside her. His boisterousness annoyed her.

"This is the difference in skill."

It had been a year since this blond man claimed to have been summoned by her. A whole year had passed.

In this short year, Sakura had witnessed the transformation of this blond man from an arrogant "King" to a proud "idiot," and finally, to a proud "otaku." This change happened quickly, and in Sakura's memory, his arrogant "King" state didn't even last for a month.

At least for now, Sakura had growing doubts about the blond man's claim of being a King. Did such a king of otakus really exist in the world? She was genuinely concerned about his mental state.

If initially she admired or idolized the blond man, her usual feelings now were mostly a sense of disappointment like "Awawa~."

At first, he talked about something called the Holy Grail War, and then... a year had passed, yet there was no sign of the Holy Grail War. Instead, he had locked himself up and indulged in being an otaku for a whole year, spending most of his time playing games and rarely going outside.

To the point that now, she almost forgot about the term "Holy Grail War."

Just as the blond man was celebrating his ruthless victory over a child, the sky outside suddenly turned crimson, occasionally accompanied by flashes of red lightning in the distant sky.

Seeing the sky stained red, the blond man didn't need to think twice. He immediately knew that the Holy Grail War had begun. "Interesting... Is the first battle of the Holy Grail War finally commencing?"

"The Holy Grail War? Ah, the thing you mentioned before?" Sakura pondered for a moment, finally recalling the Holy Grail War that the blond man claimed to have been summoned for, which he occasionally mentioned during the first half of the year. He said he was summoned by her to participate in the Holy Grail War.

Sakura continued to inquire, "So, are you going to fight now? In reality, I mean."

"Foolish!" Unexpectedly, the blond man suddenly stood up, arrogantly raised his head, and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He spoke loudly, "This is merely the first day of the Holy Grail War. It would be beneath me to engage in battle so hastily."

The blond man closed his eyes, reminiscing about the various role-playing games he had played within the past year. "A true king, as the name implies, should be like the final boss in a game, patiently awaiting the arrival of the hero. Therefore..."

Hearing this, Sakura tilted her head and curiously asked, "...Therefore?"

"A king should wait passively for his demise!!!"

Iris and Merlin had just walked out of the arcade, and by now, the sky had turned pitch black. Looking up at the dark sky, Iris paced back and forth at the entrance of the arcade. "Oh no, it's already dark. The Holy Grail War must have started."

After flying from Germany to Fuyuki City in Japan, she hadn't even visited the Einzbern castle in the forest, which served as their base for the Holy Grail War. Instead, she got carried away playing racing games in the arcade. The thought of Kiritsugu finding out would surely disappoint her, and Iris began to feel anxious.

She shouldn't have listened to this unreliable guy's persuasion, claiming that they had plenty of time and should have some fun. She recklessly ran into the arcade despite the warnings, and now the Holy Grail War had already begun, yet she hadn't made any preparations.

Thinking about this, Iris looked towards Merlin. It seemed as if nothing was said, yet it felt like everything had been said.

"Oh my... I'm sorry, it got dark before we knew it," Merlin scratched his head innocently, but inside, he felt no remorse whatsoever. In fact, he was rather amused by the situation.

However, as Iris heard those words, the atmosphere turned slightly uneasy, prompting Merlin to quickly change the subject.

"By the way, Kiritsugu arrived in Fuyuki several hours ago," Merlin said.

"Where is Kiritsugu now?" Iris asked.

Upon hearing her question, Merlin was uncertain about how to delicately explain what he saw in Kiritsugu's current situation. He was witnessing an image of Kiritsugu and Maiya kissing, but since she asked, he had to disclose it.

Merlin extended his arms and slowly lifted them upwards from the sides, as if performing a yoga pose. When his hands reached the top, he clasped them together and lowered them to his chest.

"Peace and joy," Merlin said.

"Peace... and joy?" Iris furrowed her brow, carefully pondering the meaning of Merlin's words. She hesitantly inquired, "What does that mean?"

"It's nothing. When the time is right, you will naturally understand," Merlin replied, looking at the green glow swirling above Iris's head.

Hearing Merlin's response, Iris's inner confusion grew, but before she could delve into deeper thoughts, her attention was drawn to a news report playing on a screen inside an electronics store nearby.

"According to the latest news, a gas leak occurred in the underground pipelines beneath the road at the entrance of Fuyuki's Homurahara Academy half an hour ago, resulting in a significant gas explosion. The road near the school entrance has suffered severe damage, but fortunately, there were no casualties. The fire has been brought under control..."

"Has the battle between Servants begun?" Iris asked.

"Yes, it started almost an hour ago. I saw you having so much fun playing the racing game, so I didn't disturb you. Ahahaha," Merlin replied.

"..."

Meanwhile, Jerry was still searching for a way to enter the house from its surroundings. Ever since Tom threw him out of the house earlier, he had been looking for a way back in. However, all the windows in the vicinity were tightly locked, and the only feasible option seemed to be squeezing through the crack under the front door.

Unfortunately, entering through the front door was a risky move. There was a high chance of being spotted by Tom and thrown out again. Nonetheless, with no better alternatives in sight, Jerry made up his mind and decided to forcefully enter through the front door.

Jerry cautiously approached the door, peeking inside through the gap to ensure that Tom was not present in the hallway. Once he confirmed that the coast was clear, he squeezed his head through the opening and then maneuvered his entire body inside the house through the narrow gap.

However, what Jerry failed to notice was a blue-gray tomcat on the nearby shoe rack. The tomcat had opened its arms wide and was wearing a mischievous grin, watching Jerry's stealthy silhouette with its mouth agape.