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In Fuyuki City in early November, the sea breeze carried a biting chill that felt as if it were drilling straight into one’s bones.
Yoru Hayashi had wrapped his only coat around Tohsaka Sakura, leaving himself in a short-sleeved T-shirt.
He shivered violently in the freezing wind, letting out three thunderous sneezes in a row.
“Sigh…
damn weather.
The system didn’t even mention giving me a set of thermal underwear,” Yoru muttered, rubbing his goosebump-covered arms as he quickened his pace.
With the 500,000 initial funds provided by the system and the 300,000 to 400,000 he had “borrowed” from Tsuruno Matou, he was comfortably a man of significant means.
Since he had the money, he certainly wouldn’t skimp on himself, and he definitely wouldn’t let the little girl in his arms suffer.
After walking for about half an hour, a magnificent Western-style hotel appeared before them.
The Hyatt Hotel, the most prestigious five-star hotel in Fuyuki City.
In a while, when the Holy Grail War officially began, that unlucky director named Kayneth would book the top floor to use as his workshop.
“Here we go!
Today, we’ll experience the decadence of the bourgeoisie.”
Yoru took a deep breath and strode confidently into the hotel lobby.
The lobby was quiet in the early hours of the morning.
The receptionist on duty was a young woman in her twenties.
She had been nodding off, but when she heard footsteps and looked up, her soul nearly leaped out of her body.
A young man wearing a thin T-shirt, with messy hair and trouser legs stained with an unknown green slime, was marching toward the front desk.
More alarming was that he was tightly clutching a little girl wrapped securely in an oversized coat; only her large, terrified eyes were visible.
In the middle of the night, with that look and that combination…
The receptionist’s mind immediately flashed to the serial killings and child abduction cases reported in the *Fuyuki Evening News*.
Her hand secretly crept toward the alarm button under the desk.
“Uh…
I’d like a room.
Your warmest suite, please,” Yoru said, his voice sounding heavy from the cold.
He casually slapped his ID card onto the desk.
The receptionist swallowed hard, forcing herself to remain calm as she glanced at the ID.
“Mr…
Mr.
Hayashi, is it?
May I ask who the child in your arms is…?”
“Oh, my distant cousin,” Yoru lied effortlessly.
“The little girl had a fight with her family and ran away from home, ending up in Fuyuki City in the middle of the night.
I just picked her up from the station.
She’s freezing, so please get a room ready so she can take a hot bath.”
The receptionist looked at Yoru with an expression that clearly said, *Do you really think I believe that bullshit?*
Cousin?
What kind of cousin runs away from home and looks as frightened as a quail?
And what was with the green slime on his pants?
*Could this guy be some kind of perverted lolicon!*
“Sir…
our hotel regulations state that for minors to check in, we need…” The girl’s finger was moments away from hitting the alarm.
*Thwack!*
A dull thud interrupted her.
With an expressionless face, Yoru pulled two thick stacks of cash, bound by rubber bands and smelling of fresh ink, from his bulging pockets and slapped them authoritatively onto the marble counter.
“This is for the deposit and the room.
Keep the change.
Please have some hot milk and food sent to the room as quickly as possible,” Yoru stared at her, his tone carrying a hint of the ferocity he’d used while pummeling a five-hundred-year-old monster.
“What’s the matter?
Not interested in the money?”
Money makes the world go round.
Under the gaze of those thick stacks of Yukichi Fukuzawa notes, the receptionist’s sense of justice was instantly crushed by the stench of wealth.
“Right away, Mr.
Hayashi!
I’ll get you the top-floor luxury suite immediately!
Please wait a moment!” Using the typing speed of someone who had been single for twenty years, she hammered the keyboard and produced the room card in three seconds.
…
*Beep—Click.*
As he pushed open the solid wood door of the luxury suite, a wave of warmth mixed with a faint scent of aromatherapy greeted them.
Yoru locked the door behind him, gently placed Sakura on a sofa as soft as a cloud, and then collapsed sprawled in a nearby armchair, letting out a long breath of exhaustion.
“I’m finally alive…”
In just over an hour, he had experienced transmigration, being bitten to death by worms fifteen times, beating up an old dried-out corpse, robbing a spoiled rich kid, and checking into a hotel with a child.
It was a series of surreal events.
Now that his nerves had relaxed, his stomach began to protest violently.
*Gurgle—*
Coincidentally, on the other end of the sofa, a faint stomach growl came from the coat-wrapped Sakura.
The little girl’s face instantly flushed red.
She quickly lowered her head, her small hands clutching the hem of the coat tightly.
Seeing her cautious demeanor, Yoru felt a surge of helplessness.
Tokiomi Tohsaka really was a piece of work, heartlessly giving away a daughter this well-behaved.
“Hungry?
I ordered food at the front desk; it should be here any minute.” Yoru sat up and pointed toward the distant bathroom.
“But before we eat, you need to take a bath.
You’ve broken into a sweat; you’ll catch a cold.”
Mentioning the bath, Yoru suddenly froze.
*Crap, I’m a lifelong bachelor who’s never even held a girl’s hand.
How am I supposed to bathe a five-year-old girl?!*
*If she takes her clothes off to wash, isn’t that…
borderline criminal?
Like, three years to life or even the death penalty!*
Just as Yoru was scratching his head, debating whether he should just close his eyes and spray her blindly with the showerhead, Sakura sensibly slid off the sofa.
“Big brother…
I can wash myself,” Sakura’s voice was very quiet, but her articulation was clear.
She had received a strict aristocratic education at the Tohsaka residence; she possessed basic self-care skills.
“Oh!
Alright then.
The left tap is hot, the right is cold.
The body wash and shampoo are on the shelf.
Don’t slip!
Call me loudly if you need anything!”
Relieved, Yoru quickly found an unopened set of hotel yukatas and handed them to her.
He watched as the little sprout clutched the yukata—which was longer than she was tall—and walked into the bathroom, closing the door.
Listening to the sound of rushing water, Yoru walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooked the night view of most of Fuyuki City, and gave himself a hearty stretch.
“System, bring up the personal panel.”
[Name: Yoru Hayashi] [Rank: Third-rate Magus / C-Rank Melee Servant Physique] [Magic Circuits: 40] [Magic Attribute: None] [Skills: Reinforcement Magic (Beginner), Martial Arts Mastery (C-Rank), Bajiquan (B-Rank), Battle Continuation (C-Rank)] [Special Title: Pesticide (Damage against insect-type magic +50%)] [Current Evaluation: A reckless brute who isn’t afraid of death and extremely suppresses insects.
As long as you don’t encounter Heroic Spirits or those few perverted Masters, walking sideways through Fuyuki City shouldn’t be a problem.]
Yoru rubbed his chin.
Although the panel looked rather meager, combined with the infinite rewind mechanism, he was currently full of confidence.
Next was figuring out how to stir up trouble in this Holy Grail War and, incidentally, completely heal Tohsaka Sakura.
*Ding-dong—Room service.*
The sound of food delivery came from outside.
Yoru opened the door and pushed the trolley inside.
On it sat steaming tonkatsu set meals, cream of mushroom soup, and two large glasses of hot milk.
Just then, the bathroom door opened.
Sakura walked out, plodding along in hotel slippers that were like boats on her feet.
Her coat had been replaced by a white yukata; because it was too long, the hem had to be rolled up several times, making her look like a round little snowman.
Having just taken a hot bath, a hint of color had finally returned to the little girl’s originally pale face.
Her short hair, which had looked dull and gray due to the worm pits, was now smooth, glossy, and carried a faint scent of body wash.
“Here, drink some hot soup first to warm your stomach, then let’s eat!” Yoru lifted her into a chair and pushed a bowl of tonkatsu rice in front of her.
Looking at the golden, crispy pork cutlet, Sakura swallowed her saliva.
She didn’t devour it immediately like a typical child; instead, she pressed her hands together and said politely, “Itadakimasu.”
Only then did she pick up the spoon and begin eating in small bites.
As she ate, however, fat tears began to plop into her rice bowl.
“Eh?
Why are you crying?
Is it too hot?” Yoru panicked instantly.
Sakura shook her head, haphazardly wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
She sobbed, “No…
the pork cutlet…
is delicious.
Big brother…
is a good person.”
Yoru froze.
Looking at the tear-streaked little face, the softest part of his heart was struck hard.
He reached out and ruffled the girl’s freshly dried hair, sighing.
“Alright, stop giving me the ‘good person’ card.
Just eat.
After you’re done, get under the covers and sleep.
Tomorrow I’ll take you to buy clothes, and while we’re at it…
go scam some pocket money.”
The two enjoyed a rare moment of warmth in the hotel suite.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Fuyuki City, at the Matou residence, a moral tragedy was unfolding.
…
“Old man!
I’m back!
Please stop the modifications on Sakura!
I am willing to accept the Crest Worms and take her place in the Holy Grail…”
Kariya Matou—the tragic second lead who, for the sake of the daughter of the woman he loved, was willing to quit his job and abandon everything to jump into the fire—pushed open the gates of the Matou estate with a face full of tragic resolve.
He had rehearsed it countless times in his mind: how he would express his unwavering determination when facing that terrifying old father, and how he would endure the agony of the Crest Worms burrowing into his body.
However, when he entered the residence with a death wish, he wasn’t greeted by the sinister laughter of the old worm.
Instead, he found his own brother, Tsuruno Matou, collapsed at the end of the hallway, face covered in blood, jaw dislocated, and a wallet cleaner than his face.
“Brother?!
What happened?
Who did this?!” Kariya was shocked and rushed forward to pat Tsuruno’s cheek.
Tsuruno’s eyes were rolling back, foam bubbling at his mouth; he was completely unconscious.
Kariya’s heart sank, and an ominous feeling welled up within him.
He stood up abruptly and ran frantically toward the underground worm pits.
“Old man!
What on earth are you doing!
Where is Sakura?
Where is Sakura!”
Kariya kicked open the door to the worm pits, which should have been tightly shut but was now reduced to a few splinters of wood.
By the dim light of the hallway, Kariya witnessed a scene he could never comprehend in his life.
The worm pits, which should have been crawling with a shivering mass of Crest Worms, now looked as if a herd of frenzied wild boars had plowed through them.
The ground was riddled with several large craters, and the walls were covered in spider-web-like cracks.
Most horrifying of all, the floor was blanketed in a thick layer of pungent green slime and the remains of dead worms.
The smell was more pungent than a burst septic tank.
As for the father who had always terrified him to his core, Zouken Matou…
“Cough, cough…
Kariya, you useless brat…
have you finally decided to crawl back…?”
From a dark corner, the rustling sound of crawling insects erupted.
Hundreds of surviving Crest Worms piled and twisted upon one another, barely managing to piece together Zouken Matou’s shriveled, half-faced visage on the floor.
The old thing’s voice was extremely weak, tinged with an exasperated rage.
“Old man?!
You…
how did you become this ghostly mess?!” Kariya looked at the writhing “worm-face” on the ground, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.
“Shut up!” Half of Zouken’s face twitched violently.
“Some brat from nowhere…
not only smashed my worm wall with a single punch but pinned me to the ground and crushed my physical body!
In the end, he even took that little girl from the Tohsaka family away!”
Kariya was stunned.
His brain worked frantically, trying to digest this explosion of information.
A brat?
Pinned the old man to the ground and beat him?
And saved Sakura?
“Wait…
old man.” Kariya pointed at the father on the floor, then pointed at himself, his expression becoming quite complex.
“Sakura was saved…
then what about me?
I made up my mind to come back and undergo the Crest Worm modification!
Where is my sacrifice?
Where is my redemption?
Where is my script?!”
Kariya Matou, the tragic male lead who was supposed to endure endless agony in the Fourth Holy Grail War.
On this early winter night in 1993, he suddenly discovered that he…
Was unemployed.