“Shinji, you really are amazing.” It was Emiya Shirou who broke the silence.
He watched the television, his eyes devoid of jealousy or surprise; instead, he was lost in serious thought.
“Although he did many wrong things in the past, and although his personality is still quite nasty, he truly possesses extraordinary talent outside of magecraft.”
Shirou sighed sincerely, “That look in his eyes—it’s the look of someone who has found what they truly want to do.
Just like how I want to become an ally of justice, he is also working hard for his own goal.”
“Huh?
Working hard?
Are you an idiot, Shirou!”
Tohsaka’s face flushed red, and she retorted loudly to hide her embarrassment, “What kind of hard work is that!
That’s gambling!
It’s gambling with the money Sakura gave him!
That opportunistic jerk definitely used some despicable methods to trick that Boss Kenta again!
Just wait and see, he’ll lose all that money sooner or later!”
She scolded him loudly, but as she watched the confidently smiling Shinji on the screen, that voice she liked so much echoed in her mind again, unexpectedly overlapping with the voice on the television.
Tokyo, Ginza.
A black bulletproof Mercedes slowly pulled up in front of a high-end apartment building.
The partition inside the car had been raised, creating a private space in the backseat.
The neon lights from outside the window filtered through the privacy film, casting mottled shadows on the two of them.
Along the way, the car had been very quiet.
The impact of that news had slowly faded, replaced by a more ambiguous silence.
Eri Kisaki adjusted her skirt, feeling somewhat restless.
As a mature woman, she knew what this silence meant.
It was like the final moments before a date ended, the dangerous edge where both parties tested each other’s boundaries.
“We’re here.” Shinji broke the silence.
His voice sounded somewhat low in the enclosed car, carrying a hint of weary hoarseness.
For him, today had pushed both his physical and mental strength to the limit, almost exhausting all the energy in his frail body.
Yet he still maintained his elegant posture, not showing a trace of weakness.
“Thank you for the dinner, Mr.
Matou.” Eri Kisaki took a deep breath, regaining her professional composure.
She turned her head to look at Shinji, wearing a proper smile, “I will send the indictment letter regarding Aegis first thing tomorrow morning.
As for the tax issues, I will draft a new plan as soon as possible.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Eri.”
Shinji smiled, and that form of address made Eri Kisaki’s eyebrows twitch slightly, but she did not object.
She reached out to open the car door.
“Wait a moment.” Shinji spoke suddenly.
Eri Kisaki’s hand stopped on the door handle, and she turned her head in confusion.
Shinji did not speak.
He slowly reached out his hand, that long, pale hand, and gently covered Eri Kisaki’s left hand, which was resting on her knee.
Eri Kisaki’s body stiffened abruptly.
His hand was very cold, but the sensation was like an electric current, instantly shooting up to her head along the back of her hand.
Her instinct was to pull her hand back and teach him a lesson.
But she didn’t move.
Because Shinji wasn’t gripping her hard; he was just lightly resting it there.
Then, his index finger, as if unintentionally, or perhaps as if premeditated, gently and extremely slowly traced a line across her soft palm.
Just that one touch.
That numbing sensation was like a feather, gently brushing across Eri Kisaki’s long-closed heart.
It itched.
That itch wasn’t on her skin; it was seeping out from her bones.
Shinji looked at her, his eyes appearing exceptionally profound in the dim light.
He didn’t say a single frivolous word, nor did he make any more excessive moves.
He simply used this small, slightly childish gesture to send her a signal.
I am flirting with you.
Openly, without any concealment.
“Get some rest early, Attorney Kisaki.” Shinji withdrew his hand, a smug, wicked smile appearing at the corners of his mouth, “After all, to help a troublesome client like me with a lawsuit, you need to maintain plenty of energy.”
Eri Kisaki felt her breathing become chaotic.
The sensation in her palm remained terrifyingly clear.
Looking at the boy smiling wickedly before her, an unprecedented panic welled up in her heart.
It wasn’t the fear of facing danger, but the helplessness of facing an emotion that was about to spiral out of control.
She shouted in her heart: Eri Kisaki, how could you be like this?
He’s just a boy the same age as your daughter!
You cannot keep thinking like this.
“You, you get some rest early too.” Eri Kisaki pulled open the car door in almost a disheveled manner.
Her usually composed pace now appeared somewhat hurried.
She didn’t look back, walking quickly into the apartment building’s entrance, as if some terrifying monster was chasing her from behind.
It wasn’t until the elevator door closed, and she saw the woman with flushed cheeks and flickering eyes in the mirror, that Eri Kisaki let out a long sigh.
She raised her left hand, looking at the spot that had just been touched by him.
“What a dangerous brat.” She cursed in a low voice, yet the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably.
Downstairs, inside the car.
“Boss, your heart rate just went up again.” Sirius’s cold voice came from the front row, the partition lowered, and she looked at the satisfied-looking boy through the rearview mirror, “This level of hormonal secretion is not good for your heart’s load.”
“Sirius, you really are a genius at ruining the mood.” Shinji leaned back against the seat in an excellent mood, completely unbothered by her retort, “Drive, let’s go back to the hotel.
Today is a good day, worth having a good dream.”
The Tohsaka residence, the western-style mansion located on the heights of Miyama Town.
For Rin, tonight was destined to be sleepless.
“Huff…
huff…” Rin sat up abruptly from the bed, her chest heaving violently, the back of her pajamas already soaked through with cold sweat.
She subconsciously reached out to touch the ruby pendant under her pillow, and only when her fingertips touched the cold edges of the gem did her wild heartbeat calm down a little.
“What is going on.” She irritably messed up her hair, and by the moonlight filtering in from outside the window, she glanced at the alarm clock by the bed.
Three in the morning.
At this time when magical energy is most active, she had actually had an incredibly absurd dream.