"New Moon's small prison, five sacrificial animals, four ritual vessels."— "The Book of Rites: Jade Adornments"
Yet the name this young man had whimsically chosen and used until now was not merely a reference to the lunar phase.
It was the name of an ancient family that had taken root in Fuyuki since the Tenshō era. Legend held that girls born into this family all possessed crimson eyes and supernatural abilities—children (or rather, divine infants) who could receive human thoughts and unconsciously materialize them.
But this trait, while seemingly a divine blessing, also became a divine curse. The first girl saved Fuyuki from famine but died at the age of two. The second girl had her spirit worn away before her life, becoming little more than a machine that received and processed wishes.
Thus, from the third generation onward, the birth of each "Sakatsuki" was concealed, each raised hidden behind barriers. Without exception, every Sakatsuki abandoned personal desires, purely praying for the happiness of children. The fact that this behavior—something any parent would consider natural—persisted for 500 years could only be called a miracle surpassing even that of the divine infants.
And the end of that family was also Miyu's past.
The girl was recognized as a divine infant, but before her seventh birthday—when her traits would vanish—she was caught in an unexplained [Erosion Incident] that struck Fuyuki. The Sakatsuki family crumbled.
Left alone in the ruins, Miyu was eventually taken in by that world's Kiritsugu and, after his death, entrusted to Shirou—the Great Hero Emiya.
Though her memories before age seven were hazy, Miyu could still clearly sense that the "Sakatsuki" this priest claimed to be was not referring to the moon but to an ancient family from another world—one that had long since vanished.
"...You can't be called that name."
Every member of that family name should have been erased. Even she had abandoned her past surname, choosing instead to become someone's little sister.
Faced with Miyu's accusation, the boy in priestly garb only looked puzzled:
"What are you talking about? Of course my name is fake."
"Yeah, yeah, there's nothing wrong with the name Sakatsuki-nii... Huh? Wait, WHAT?!" Illya, who had initially tried to back him up, suddenly realized what he'd said and stared at him in shock.
"Wha—?!"
"Mhm. It's fake, Illya." Sakatsuki—or rather, the young man from another, far more distant world—smiled and nodded. "When operating in the world of the occult, the deeper you bury your true name, the better. I'd rather not get controlled by some black magus."
Besides, running around various Fate settings with a Chinese name would have been far too conspicuous, no?
"Alright, ladies, let's not dwell on me." Sakatsuki clapped his hands and opened the bag he'd been carrying, pulling out two lunchboxes. "You've been busy all afternoon—you must be hungry. I made some simple snacks, so let's take a break from practice."
"Yay!" Illya immediately cheered, landing from the sky and running over to Sakatsuki before suddenly remembering something. She turned to the other magical girl and explained, "Oh, right, Miyu, Sakatsuki... um, I'll just keep calling him Sakatsuki-nii. He's a supervisor from the Church, and he knows about our situation."
"...I see."
"Eh? That's all?!"
Miyu didn't respond. Perhaps, in her mind, anyone bearing that name was inevitably tied to the occult.
Mimicking Illya, Miyu clasped her hands together and accepted the rice dumpling Sakatsuki handed her, taking a small bite.
Then, her eyes widened.
This taste...
She whipped her head toward Sakatsuki, about to speak—but her emotions quickly cooled.
The moment it entered her mouth, the flavor reminded her of the porridge a certain boy had made for her on her first night in this world.
But soon, the taste was just a taste. There was no emotion embedded in it—just the skillful combination of ingredients arranged into food.
Not that the dumpling wasn't delicious, but compared to that boy's handmade porridge, something crucial was missing.
So... just a coincidence?
In the end, Miyu said nothing, silently eating without a word.
"Oh, Illya." Sakatsuki, having observed Miyu's reaction, finally looked away with a smile.
"Hm?" Illya, happily munching away, lifted her head.
"Could you pass a message to the Mage's Association representatives—Rin Tohsaka and Luviagelita? Tell them I'll be joining tonight's hunt for a Servant."
At this, both magical girls—who were also combatants—snapped their attention to him.
"Sakatsuki-nii is going after a Class Card too?!"
"...Which one?"
Sakatsuki didn't answer immediately, instead grinning mischievously. "If I recall, you two were practicing flying because Caster handed you a brutal defeat, right?"
"It seems the Church has some... competitive intentions toward the Mage's Association. So they've ordered me to retrieve a specific Class Card—unfortunately, it's Caster."
Fully aware of the two girls' rivalry, Sakatsuki spun this lie without batting an eye.
"If I defeat Caster, the Church will undoubtedly use it as grounds to criticize the Mage's Association for incompetence."
'Ah, the adult world is so scary.'
Illya stared at Sakatsuki's delighted expression, this thought flashing through her mind.
As for Miyu, she was already imagining the furious reactions of the anti-gravity twin-tails and the golden-drill-haired noble.
***
Night, 11:30 PM.
Under the Fuyuki Bridge, Mion Riverbank.
Illya, already transformed into a magical girl, glanced at Miyu—also transformed, her expression unreadable.
'Has Miyu learned to fly yet?'
After packing up the lunchboxes that afternoon, Sakatsuki had left. Following his earlier advice, Illya had mustered the courage to invite Miyu to practice flying together. Though Miyu seemed surprised, she agreed readily.
Of course, in the end, the imagination-deficient Miyu still hadn't succeeded... even though she had recited convoluted aerospace formulas and what sounded to Illya like Morse code-esque mechanical failure equations at Illya's house.
But clearly, scientific knowledge couldn't solve a lack of imagination.
"Don't get distracted, Illya." Rin, unusually serious, reminded her. "It's almost time."
"Indeed, this is the optimal window to enter the Mirror World." For once, Luvia nodded in agreement. "Only here can we access the Mirror World where the Class Cards reside."
"That may be so, but..." Illya muttered, eyeing their current setup.
The supposed leaders of their group—Rin and Luvia—were crouched behind bushes, one with her butt sticking out, the other flat on the ground, peering at the empty road ahead.
Meanwhile, she and Miyu were hiding nearby, gripping their staffs like rifles, poised as if for guerrilla warfare.
"Why aren't we the ones going after the Class Card?!"
"No! Tonight, I must witness that fool's humiliation!" Rin shot back, her sapphire eyes burning with competitive fire.
"To call us incompetent! That was a Servant! Even weakened, no modern magus should be able to defeat one alone!"
Luvia's face was equally stormy. "To think they'd use this to trample the Mage's Association's dignity—what a grave miscalculation! Let's see whether he gets skewered by arrows or vaporized by mana cannons!"
"Uh, that's a bit too cruel, don't you think...?" Illya grimaced.
After relaying Sakatsuki's message, the two prideful mages had immediately gone into battle mode, brimming with hostility toward this priest they hadn't even met yet.
For Rin and Luvia, this was their one chance to study under the legendary Wizard Marshal. How could they let the Church interfere?
And then—
A figure finally appeared before the hidden magical girl squad.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹