Chapter 44

Academy Island, Central District.

A seemingly ordinary two-story building stands here. If someone were to pass by at this moment and get close to the door, they could faintly hear the laughter coming from inside.

It’s not that the building’s quality is so poor that it lacks soundproofing. In fact, although the Central District is not as wealthy as Mahaburabura and Academy City, its buildings and facilities have already reached a level of excellence. The thick walls are sufficient to withstand a moderate earthquake. The laughter has such strong penetration only because the perpetrator is being too unrestrained.

Sitting on the sofa, with his feet propped up on the coffee table, the young man whose body shakes uncontrollably with laughter is none other than Shinji Matou, the student who has recently been giving Levi a headache. He holds his phone in one hand, his eyes fixed on the name displayed on the screen: Rin Tohsaka. It is this name and this email that have made him so elated, disregarding the possibility of complaints from neighbors in the middle of the night, letting his voice echo in the spacious living room.

In this ordinary two-story building, besides Shinji sitting in the living room, there is also a small family of three, including his parents and a son. Using simple but effective illusion magic, Shinji has made this family ignore his existence, allowing him to enter and exit like a transparent person.

Shinji feels very satisfied with his own intelligence. After all, that teacher, who ranks first on his hit list, hasn’t found this place yet.

That guy, who thinks he has some fighting power and doesn’t take him seriously, is probably running around the Academy Island, which is larger than an ordinary big city, like a headless fly. Thinking of this, Shinji feels even more elated.

Just over a month ago, Shinji was still a degenerate heir who couldn’t even perform the most basic magic and was scolded by his elders for disgracing the family name. Now, he can skillfully use simple magic and, with his outstanding intelligence, toy with an opponent who can be compared to a Heroic Spirit.

In Shinji’s mind, it’s fine to indulge a little after growing to such excellence.

“Rin...”

Muttering the girl’s name, Shinji reads the email on his phone screen again. The once unattainable girl has taken the initiative to request an alliance with him. The pleasure of making a strong person submit to his power makes Shinji close his eyes in ecstasy.

In his view, the girl’s request for an alliance is equivalent to offering herself to him. Others might be confused by his disguise at school, but as a member of a magical family and an heir of one of the three founding families of the Holy Grail War, Shinji believes Rin Tohsaka understands what he wants.

Leaning back on the comfortable sofa, he begins to imagine the beautiful scene of the black-haired girl submitting to him. He even feels that he can faintly smell the slight fragrance of her body.

“Cough!”

A gust of wind blows in from the window, right into Shinji’s open mouth. The cold wind shocks him out of his fantasies, and he coughs twice, sitting up straight on the sofa.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

“Another hour...”

Leaning against the door, Rin Tohsaka looks at the time displayed on her phone, muttering to herself.

It’s not the weekend, nor is it any special holiday. The time when she should be sitting in the classroom, absorbing knowledge, she, as the student council president, is still outside the cabin in the woods. The important date that is about to happen is the reason for her breaking the school rules, something she has never done before, let alone skipping class.

“That guy is probably in class right now.”

For ordinary classmates, Rin uses their surnames; for those with a closer relationship, she calls them by their first names; and for those she dislikes, she uses both their first and last names to show her distance. The term “that guy” is reserved for Levi, but whether he is happy with this special treatment is not something Rin needs to care about.

There is still a lot of time before the agreed time, and Rin gently presses her right hand against her chest, feeling her slightly rapid heartbeat. To put it dramatically, this is a date that will affect her entire life, and even a girl called a genius cannot control her inner nervousness.

Rather than letting her heart race uncontrollably during the boring wait, it’s better to let her mind wander. With this thought, Rin recalls last night’s dinner.

The table was filled with twice the usual number of dishes, all of which had been meticulously prepared by Tatsuya and were now completely cleared. The cabin had three new residents, so Tatsuya had to prepare more food.

“Taking a walk after dinner is one of life’s great pleasures. Does anyone want to go?”

Standing by the dining table, feeling content after a hearty meal, Levi invited the few girls in the living room. However, Rin guessed that he probably knew that such an elderly health activity would not be popular with the girls.

Rin, while texting her friends on her phone, secretly observed everyone’s reactions.

As expected, Eve was as usual engrossed in the novel in her hands. No matter how she looked, the Assassin seemed like an ordinary literary girl. Only Hikari, who was quite interested in the TV, turned around and shook her head at Levi, at least not completely ignoring him.

As for Yuffie, Rin didn’t even need to look. Although they rarely interacted, Rin knew the lazy habits of the girl who never grew up.

Bang.

Hearing the sound of Levi closing the door, Rin’s gaze moved from her phone screen to the remaining three people in the living room, finally stopping on Yuffie, who was sprawled out on the sofa.

Putting her phone back in her pocket, she walked towards the sofa.

“Yuffie.”

“Hmm?”

The little blonde girl, holding a remote control and flipping through channels, turned her head in surprise when she heard her name. After all, in Rin’s memory, the number of times she had taken the initiative to talk to this current landlord could be counted on one hand.

Regaining her composure, Rin turned and glanced at the windows of the second-floor rooms. They must be ready, Rin thought, checking the time on her phone again.

There was still over half an hour before the agreed time, and only about ten minutes before school let out. Rin dialed Levi’s phone number. She would call this number in about ten minutes.

“Seeking her help was indeed the right choice.”

The ‘her’ here refers to Yuffie, who is currently somewhere in the house.

Just yesterday, Rin finally found the last piece of the puzzle for her plan. That damned Levi had kept the micro-villa a secret from her, which was the only thing that made her a bit unhappy amidst her joy.

But now is not the time to punish the teacher. After learning about the villa, Rin immediately began to arrange her battle plan. Of course, she did all of this secretly. She dared not reveal her plan to Levi before it was implemented, as that guy would definitely veto her most successful plan.

Fortunately, that guy doesn’t pay much attention to the rumors within the school, Rin secretly rejoiced. If Levi had heard from a student about the rumors concerning her and Shinji Matou, he probably wouldn’t have entrusted the task of making the battle plan to her.

To avoid Levi noticing anything unusual before the event, Rin had to seek help from Yuffie, with whom she didn’t get along well. For some reason, she had never had much affection for Levi’s ‘wife’ since childhood. She didn’t hate her, but she certainly didn’t like her either.

Perhaps Yuffie’s cold attitude had hurt Rin’s pride, or perhaps...

Despite this, at this moment, Rin is very grateful for Yuffie’s help, which has allowed her plan to proceed smoothly.

The bait has been thrown, and now all that’s left is to wait for the big fish to bite.

But before that, the assistant to the fisherman should also be in place.

Rin pressed the confirm button on her phone and called Levi.