The HF story continued playing on the television screen.
Aside from Shibamatsu, who was focused on not ending up locked in the basement, most viewers had a clear understanding of the current situation.
Staying true to the Fate series tradition of including flashy battle scenes, it was all but certain that the shadow controlled by Sakura Matou would be the final boss of this story.
The battle between the two sisters, Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou, was about to erupt.
What intrigued viewers the most, however, was the role of the protagonist, Shirou Emiya, in the conflict.
From Rin's perspective, Shirou was determined to defend Sakura to the death, making him her enemy.
From Sakura's perspective, Shirou had already been seduced by her wicked sister and might betray her at any moment.
Thus, both sisters believed Shirou had been "taken away" by the other.
Ultimately, deciding whether Rin or Sakura was the metaphorical Sekai Saionji and the other Kotonoha Katsura was no easy task.
Regardless, Shirou's position as a "heartless man" was cemented in their minds.
Fortunately, Shirou was unaware of all this. Otherwise, he might have been too stunned to function.
After all, he was already conflicted enough, and now his household was adding more chaos to the mix.
Was it a case of "I'll never find peace until I'm buried six feet under?"
Shirou's inner turmoil was like stormy waves crashing relentlessly.
His childhood dream of becoming a hero of justice was clashing violently with his current desire to protect Sakura.
But this wasn't a simple matter of giving up on his ideals for Sakura's sake, as Shirou had initially thought.
Sakura was the monster killing people every night. Protecting her would make him an accomplice.
For Shirou, this was even more unbearable than failing to become a hero of justice.
This inner conflict and contradiction consumed him, leaving no room for him to notice the growing rift between the two sisters in his household—or the fact that both now viewed him as a traitor.
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When Shirou returned home, he encountered Illyasviel. During their conversation, he confirmed her identity as a homunculus and a Lesser Grail.
Not only that, but as Illya comforted him and urged him not to overthink, she also explained the mechanics of the Grail's operation.
It became clear that Zouken hadn't lied. As more Servants were absorbed, the Lesser Grail would gradually lose its humanity.
This realization brought Shirou to a new understanding: beyond Sakura, Illya was also someone he needed to protect.
"Illya..."
Shirou embraced the silver-haired girl tightly.
"Shirou," Illya replied with a relieved smile, closing her eyes.
Though they hadn't made any promises or harbored any specific hopes, the silver-haired girl felt the warmth of familial love she had been missing for ten years.
Because Illya's body was so small and fragile, Shirou couldn't hold her too tightly—he could only touch her gently.
Yet Shirou was serious about using his hands to record, as precisely as possible, the weight of the person he was determined to protect.
The two—siblings by circumstance, not blood—held each other quietly, basking in the real and heartfelt connection between them.
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"This scene looks like an older brother and younger sister, but it's actually more of an older sister and younger brother dynamic. And yet, the actors themselves are an actual brother-sister duo..."
After listening to this explanation, Reines crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Your production team's relationships are so complicated."
"It's really not that deep," Shinji waved dismissively. "Don't worry about the off-screen stuff. As long as the characters' relationships in the story are clear, that's all that matters."
"Well, that's still not very easy to follow," Reines retorted. "A house with four Masters, each with their own unique dynamics with each other? The only phrase that comes to mind is 'what a messy web.'"
"Ahem!" Shinji cleared his throat loudly, then insisted with forced confidence, "Let's just call this my personal effort at deep character development."
Truthfully, Shinji wasn't particularly keen on filming this part of the story, if he had any choice.
In Shinji's view, Illya's storyline in HF Is an unnecessary add-on
As Reines had criticized earlier, introducing Illya's storyline in the HF route only served to elevate the tangled emotional mess of the main characters to an entirely new level of chaos.
Some scenes, in particular, felt rather... out of place.
Take the current sequence, for instance: just a moment ago, Shirou Emiya was agonizing over the conflict between his dream of being a hero of justice and his desire to protect Sakura Matou. But after a conversation with Illya, his resolve shifted to also include protecting her.
If this wasn't reminiscent of a certain "heartless playboy protagonist," then what was it?
That said, without these scenes, Shinji would find it challenging to wrap up the story in a satisfying way.
After all, if a character makes a sacrificial decision without proper emotional buildup, it's hard for the audience to buy into it.
Fortunately, Shinji had enough runtime in the HF adaptation to show these scenes without disrupting the overall viewing experience.
Interestingly, this particular segment was titled Gift in the HF game's text. While the word means "present" in English, in Illya's native German, it means "poison."
This double entendre was Akira Hiyama's way of foreshadowing Illya's fate and future.
Unfortunately, to maintain the cinematic experience, Shinji couldn't add titles to each segment like the director's cut of Justice League.
He could only appreciate the cleverness internally, occasionally indulging himself by naming the BGM for this sequence Gift in the soundtrack.
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"Master, can you stop smiling like that? It's disgusting."
As Shinji reveled in his little indulgence, Arturia complained with a look of disdain. "Watching yourself pin your sister against a wall on-screen—does that make you happy?"
"Of course not!"
Startled by the comment, Shinji immediately straightened his posture, adopting an air of seriousness.
"Hmph," Arturia Alter scoffed. "You're so spineless, Master. If it were me, I'd lock your sister up and 'educate' her thoroughly. She'd stay locked up until she learned her place."
Arturia quickly retorted, "That's tyrannical!"
"I am a tyrant," Alter replied with a cold smile.
"Hey, idiot! Get over here!"
When Alter narrowed her eyes at Shinji, she questioned, "Who are you calling an idiot?"
Shinji quickly waved his hands in denial. "Not you! That was the TV!"
On the television, Sakura Matou let out a startled scream as she was shoved onto a bed.
"You traitor!"
Shinji reflexively shouted at the screen.
"You're the traitor here, man!" Alter shot back in irritation.
"It's got nothing to do with me! That's the TV, not me!"
By now, even Alter, who had misjudged twice, was twitching in frustration and sank back into her seat in annoyance.
On the screen, Shinji pinned the girl down and pressed his fingers against her soft skin.
"Aaah—!"
Sakura gasped in fright, her cry like that of a startled animal.
The man, however, had no trace of pity. His face was contorted with madness, suppressing her with brute force.
This wasn't about lust but an outlet for his frustrations—frustration with himself, with Sakura, with their grandfather, and with the world at large.
"Master, you're truly grotesque," Iskandar quipped, smacking his lips as he watched the scene.
"This is your true nature, isn't it, Shinji Matou?" EMIYA said with certainty.
Gilgamesh sipped his wine and smirked. "You truly are the most entertaining clown, Shinji. For showing me this, I'll let you off for now."
Enkidu chimed in, "It's truly awful. Laughing at such a pitiful girl—Master, you're hardly human."
Even though Luvia and Reines knew it was all acting, their glances at Shinji grew increasingly wary and strange.
Shinji was twitching by this point, at a loss for words. All he wanted was to dig a hole in the lounge floor and crawl into it.
The magical energy radiating from Sakura beside him only confirmed his fears: there was no way he'd escape a beating today.
"I just hope I make it home alive today," Shinji prayed silently, staring at the glowing ceiling light.
Fortunately, the punishment time didn't last long—less than a minute.
After all, Shinji wasn't as sadistic as Akira Hiyama, nor did he enjoy tarnishing his sister's reputation.
In Shinji's version, this was the only time Matou Shinji abused Sakura, driven purely by his inner bitterness.
However, the maniacal laughter on-screen triggered something in the girl's self-preservation instinct.
What she thought she could endure became unbearable the moment her brother threatened to tell Shirou.
For the first time in eleven years, Sakura rebelled against her family.
Her power and emotions resonated in unison.
Thwack!
A sharp ribbon struck the man's head.
A thin red line appeared on the back of his head.
Blood began seeping out, trailing down his neck.
Thud
The man collapsed onto the bed.
Blood quickly spread across the sheets.
Sakura sat up, staring blankly at her brother's lifeless body.
He was dead on the spot.
Watching this, the Sakura outside the screen sighed deeply.
She knew the spirits in the room wouldn't let this slide.
To her surprise, Archer clapped.
Soon, those who had good relationships with Sakura—Luvia, Arturia, and Reines—joined in.
"Beautifully done, Sakura!"
"Well done!"
"Congratulations!"
Even Gilgamesh and Iskandar joined in, cheering her on.
The rest of the break room erupted in applause.
Shinji was utterly speechless.
'Are you all just recreating Evangelion here?'
A world where Shinji alone are wounded is once again created.
<+>
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