Chapter 368

Chapter 368: Chapter 368

"No—!"

Medusa let out a miserable cry and immediately rolled over, scrambling on hands and knees in an attempt to escape.

She had barely moved a few centimeters when Kiriya caught her by the ankle and dragged her straight back.

"Where do you think you’re going? Sit still!"

"Ah—!"

Medusa yelped and tried to struggle, but by now she had almost no strength left.

All she could do was resign herself to Kiriya taking control of the dream.

"Give me a camera."

"Look this way. Peace sign."

"Something’s still missing... stick out your tongue. Yeah, that’s the expression."

And so the ridiculous dream continued—staged photos, more relentless teasing, then more photos.

By the end of it, Medusa’s consciousness had been thoroughly reduced to a confused haze, and she had completely lost track of time.

...

The following morning dawned bright and clear, with birds chirping cheerfully from the branches outside the windows.

Sakura woke, stretched beneath the covers, and immediately felt lighter than she could ever remember.

Her demonic grandfather was gone.

She had escaped that nightmarish house.

The crushing burden she had carried for more than a decade had vanished almost overnight, leaving behind an indescribable sense of relief.

Naturally, Sakura felt profound gratitude toward Kiriya and the others for saving her and giving her this new life.

In her heart, she had already resolved to repay that kindness for as long as she lived.

"All right. Today is the beginning of something better. I should make everyone a proper breakfast."

After encouraging herself, Sakura quickly got dressed, tied back her hair with a red ribbon, and stepped out of her room with unusually light footsteps.

The moment she entered the kitchen, however, she encountered Medusa drinking water.

Rider did not look well.

Her back was slightly hunched, her eyes vacant, and she had the exhausted air of an office worker who had been subjected to several consecutive weeks of brutal overtime.

Sakura was immediately alarmed.

"Medusa, are you all right? Did something happen last night? Was there another battle?"

Medusa nearly sprayed the water in her mouth straight across Sakura’s face.

She barely managed to swallow at the last second, only to choke badly.

"Cough! Cough, cough..."

"Are you hurt? I know a little healing Magecraft. Sit down and let me take a look."

Sakura hurried over to support her.

Medusa frantically waved her off.

"I’m fine. I just... overexerted myself during training last night and haven’t recovered yet."

"Oh."

Sakura nodded as though she understood, then suddenly brightened.

"Didn’t you ask Kiriya to replenish your magical energy?"

Medusa went completely still.

’Please stop asking, Sakura.’

How was she supposed to explain that the reason she was this exhausted was precisely because her attempt at "mana transfer" had spiraled wildly out of control inside Kiriya’s dream?

If Sakura ever learned the details, how would she possibly look her in the eye again?

And if word somehow spread beyond this house, Rider feared she would go down in Holy Grail War history as the Servant who lost an endurance contest inside her own dream spell.

"Ahem. Sakura, I’m actually a little hungry."

Medusa hurriedly changed the subject.

"Why don’t you make breakfast first? I’ve been looking forward to your cooking."

As expected, Sakura’s attention shifted immediately.

After making sure Rider really was all right, she entered the kitchen humming softly and began preparing breakfast.

Creak—

A while later, one of the bedroom doors opened.

Kiriya walked out while stretching his shoulders.

Sakura immediately looked over when she heard the sound, and her eyes brightened the moment she saw him.

"Kiriya, you’re awake? Just give me a little longer. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Mm. Thanks."

Kiriya sniffed the aroma drifting through the room and nodded approvingly.

"That smells incredible. Haha, now I’m really looking forward to tasting your cooking."

"Yes! I’ll do my best!"

A flame of determination practically ignited in Sakura’s eyes.

"Good luck."

Kiriya affectionately patted her head before heading off to wash up.

Sakura remained where she was for a moment, smiling happily.

Medusa watched from nearby and felt an ominous ache developing behind her eyes.

’He isn’t seriously going to make a move on Sakura too, is he?’

’If he genuinely cares about her, that’s one thing. But if he’s only treating her casually, that would be far too cruel after everything she’s been through.’

Medusa’s expression became solemn.

’No. I need to find an opportunity to ask him directly.’

The thought of what such an investigation might involve caused her face to turn bitter, and she instinctively reached back to massage her aching waist.

Still, for Sakura’s happiness, Rider was prepared to suffer a little.

Kiriya’s appearance seemed to serve as a signal.

Esdeath, Ryuu, and Jeanne soon emerged from their rooms as well, and Sakura quickly finished preparing breakfast.

Everyone gathered around the table and began eating while discussing their plans for the day.

"I’m thinking of walking around the city for a while and gathering some information," Kiriya said after eating a fried egg. "What about the rest of you?"

"If we run into another Servant, are we allowed to fight?" Esdeath immediately asked.

"No. We wait until nighttime."

Kiriya shook his head.

"The world of Magecraft has a fundamental rule: Mystery must remain hidden from the general public. The Holy Grail War is supposed to take place in secret."

"Besides, fighting during the day would make it much easier to involve innocent civilians," Jeanne added. "We should avoid that whenever possible."

"Then forget it."

Esdeath leaned back.

"I’ll stay here and rest. Maybe I’ll take care of those flowers for a while and conserve my energy for tonight."

She glanced toward the balcony, where several flowering plants were blooming beautifully.

"You know how to grow flowers?"

Ryuu looked genuinely surprised.

"I’ve never seen you do that before."

"I never had the free time."

Esdeath rolled her eyes.

"What about you two?"

Kiriya turned toward Ryuu and Jeanne.

"Want to come with me?"

Both women were visibly tempted.

Neither wanted innocent civilians to become casualties of the Holy Grail War, so using the daytime to familiarize themselves with the terrain and surrounding environment seemed sensible.

The better they understood Fuyuki, the easier it would be to minimize collateral damage once the fighting began.

Jeanne was just about to agree when she noticed the look in Ryuu’s eyes.

The words caught in her throat.

After a brief pause, Jeanne smiled instead.

"I think I’ll stay here and continue helping Sakura recover. We could also go shopping for groceries later."

Medusa had originally intended to accompany Kiriya as part of her duties as his Servant, but Jeanne likewise persuaded her to stay behind on the grounds that Sakura could use some company.

Ryuu quickly understood what Jeanne was doing.

When she met the Saint’s encouraging gaze—and Esdeath’s openly teasing one—her cheeks reddened slightly.

Even so, she did not refuse.

If anything, she found herself looking forward to the day a little more.

...

After breakfast, Kiriya took Ryuu’s hand as promised, and the two left the estate together toward Fuyuki City.

They did not deliberately search for Masters or Servants.

Instead, they simply wandered around the city.

They tried local food, watched a movie, bought several new outfits, and spent the entire day enjoying themselves at an easy, relaxed pace.

Ryuu barely stopped smiling.

Her slender fingers remained intertwined with Kiriya’s, and even her usually cool voice sounded noticeably softer.

Unfortunately, pleasant days always seemed to end too quickly.

By the time night fell, the two had reached a wooded area on the outskirts of Fuyuki.

That was when Kiriya suddenly detected two unusual concentrations of energy.

’That energy... Servants.’

He immediately pulled Ryuu into hiding and erected a barrier to conceal their presence before carefully looking toward the source of the magical energy.

A fast-moving blue figure flashed through the forest.

Kiriya’s expression immediately became amused.

"Well, well... if it isn’t Mr. Luck E himself."