Chapter 443: Eh—?!

Huo Huo stops looking at her and keeps earnestly eating her burger.

Her movements aren't rude, but they're certainly not elegant—just efficiently eating.

(A troublesome woman?)

Heimu, through Ailixiya's senses, felt that blunt evaluative tone.

She didn't get angry; instead, she thought… it was a bit novel.

(The contrast… she has a shy little face, yet her words and actions are so cold.)

(After being altered by Aha, did some traits get amplified?)

She makes Ailixiya flash an even brighter smile, picks up her own burger, and while eating says in a vague voice, "Huo Huo is really strict~ But I also like this straightforward personality~ At least I don't have to guess what you're thinking."

At that moment, a young female clerk carrying a refillable Coke walks over, her face wearing an enthusiastic smile: "Ladies, here's a free refill of Coke! Please enjoy."

She sets down the cup, can't help glancing at the two a few more times, and exclaims, "Um… sorry to interrupt, are you two sisters? You both look stunning! Especially the blue‑haired lady, she's like a model! And the younger one, so cute, like a doll!"

Ailixiya instantly lifts her smile and replies naturally, "Yes, yes~! This is my cute little sister Huo Huo~! We get along great, right Huo Huo?"

She says that while reaching out to pat Huo Huo's head.

Huo Huo deftly turns her head to dodge, continues munching fries, and gives no response to the clerk's compliments or Ailixiya's affectionate remarks, as if they were talking to thin air.

The clerk smiles awkwardly, says "Enjoy," and hurries away.

Ailixiya doesn't mind, withdraws her hand, picks up a fry, leisurely dips it in sauce, and watches the opposite side with her crimson eyes, clearly interested.

Huo Huo finishes the burger and starts tackling the fries.

Dongmu City, the night deepening.

On the edge of a quiet residential area far from the bustling commercial district, an aging Western-style detached house stands.

The garden's plants are sparsely trimmed, looking a bit wild, but the building itself is fairly well maintained; no light shines from the windows, clearly vacant for a long time.

This is a backup property, almost never used, owned by Yuanban Ying.

After deciding to join the Holy Grail War, the cautious Sakura immediately thought of this place—remote and quiet enough, with clear ownership, and only a weak overt link to the Tohsaka Family, suitable for secret rituals.

At this moment, the center of the once‑spacious first‑floor living room has been cleared into a designated area.

On the floor, a specially made silver powder draws a rigorously structured, smoothly contoured Summoning Circle.

Each line is infused with pure magic, emitting a faint blue sheen in the dim interior, looking both mysterious and solemn.

Tohsaka Rin stands before the Spell Array, her expression focused and solemn.

She has swapped her school uniform for a deep‑purple outfit suited for movement, her twin‑tails still tied impeccably.

On the back of her right hand, three bright red Command Spells stand out sharply in the dim light.

Yuanban Ying stands a little farther back against the wall, quietly watching her sister.

She folds her hands in front of her, violet eyes showing both concern and resolve.

She isn't the Master, but Rin's backup, a collaborator, a sister who will never let her face danger alone.

"Really… should we use this as a catalyst, sister?" Sakura whispers, her gaze landing on the item placed at the center of the Spell Array.

There, two translucent red Crystal Flowers lie quietly.

The flowers' shapes are lifelike, petals layered, veins clear; under the faint glow of the Magic Array, their interiors seem to flow with a warm iridescence.

This is exactly the parting gift the sister Chang Ye Yue gave to the two of them when the bizarre Fourth Holy Grail War ended ten years ago.

Rin's fingertip lightly brushes one of the Crystal Flowers; beneath the icy touch she seems to feel a lingering warmth that has spanned ten years.

"Hmm."

Rin nods, her voice firm, "Sister Chang Ye Yue… though we only spent a short time together, she left a very special and powerful impression on me. Using this as a catalyst is the most likely way to summon her."

She pauses, turns to look at Sakura, a soft glint in her eyes, "Thank you, Sakura, for providing this place and… always supporting me."

Sakura gives a slight smile, shakes her head, "We agreed, sister. We'll face it together."

Rin also smiles, her grin filled with sisterly responsibility and confidence.

She turns back, faces the Spell Array, takes a deep breath, calming her slightly racing heartbeat.

"Then… I begin."

Sakura steps back half a pace, holding her breath and focusing.

Rin lifts her right hand, the Command Spell's glow seeming to intensify.

Her clear, powerful voice rings clearly through the spacious living room, chanting the summoning incantation she's long mastered:

"Declare—"

The final syllable lands!

The Light Pillar instantly expands, its color oddly shifting to a bright powder‑blue!

"What is this…?" Rin's eyes flash with surprise.

The light quickly contracts, turning into countless drifting specks, like powder‑blue stardust, slowly fading into the air.

At the center of the Spell Array, another person appears.

It's a girl.

Powder‑blue hair.

She wears an oddly styled outfit—a short white and powder‑blue jacket exposing her long legs, paired with short boots.

She radiates a youthful, lively aura.

She bows her head slightly, seemingly still adjusting to the arrival's dizziness, her powder‑blue eyes blinking dazedly.

Tohsaka Rin: "……?"

Yuanban Ying: "……?"

The sisters freeze simultaneously.

This… isn't right, is it?!

"Eh—?!"

The descending girl jerked her head up, fully taking in the surroundings and the person before her; her powder‑blue eyes widened to perfect circles, and she let out an incredulous shout.

"Lin?! Sakura?! Is it you?!"

She pointed at the two sisters, her fingers trembling, "No, no… how did you… grow so much?! And where is this…"

She spun around in place, frantic, scanning the unfamiliar living room and then glancing at herself, her face a bewildered mask.

"I… shouldn't I be on the train? … why did my eyes close and open, and I'm in a different place? Wait, why am I saying 'again'?!"

She clutched her head, her pink hair swaying with the motion, her expression tangled, clearly having no grasp of the situation.

Yuan Ban Lin finally came to her senses from the massive shock.

She stepped forward, carefully scrutinizing the summoned girl whose appearance was almost identical to the "San Yue Qi sister" in her Memory.

"San… San Yue Qi sister?"

Lin's voice was full of uncertainty, "Is it really you? But… how could it be? I was clearly trying to summon Chang Ye Yue sister…"

Her tone carried the joy of a long‑awaited reunion, yet also confusion.

Although she hadn't summoned the ideal Chang Ye Yue, being able to bring the San Yue Qi sister—whom she hadn't been able to properly bid farewell to when they parting—was equally a cause for happiness for Lin; that lingering regret from back then seemed to be mended.