"Eh?"
Rin Tohsaka froze for a moment, surprised that a Heroic Spirit would ask her directly.
This was one of the most popular Heroic Spirits in all of Fuyuki—utterly overpowering her nemesis, Abe no Seimei.
Countless people in the Academy City idolized her as their dream goddess.
In this Heroic Spirit era, Heroic Spirits were ranked from one to five stars in terms of strength.
If a five-star Heroic Spirit's power level was set to 100, then a one-tailed Tamamo-no-Mae only had a power level of 9.
However!
With each additional tail, the power multiplied by 9.
An exponential surge in power!
Currently, she had three tails, equivalent to 729 points—ranking her among the top S-class five-star Heroic Spirits.
No one knew how terrifying she'd become once all nine tails were gathered.
It would likely rival the Goddess Tiamat, who made a soul-shaking appearance in Flower of the Underworld.
Even someone as mighty as the First Emperor once said that the strength of a full nine-tailed Tamamo-no-Mae was unimaginable even for him.
Luckily, the nine tails were not gathered—otherwise humanity would face an extinction-level catastrophe.
Thus, the First Emperor personally sealed her and assigned her nemesis, Abe no Seimei, to oversee her.
Rin lowered her head, not daring to look directly at Tamamo-no-Mae.
The fox possessed overwhelming charm, one that even many girls found irresistible.
She was afraid she might get "turned."
She nodded and replied, "Yes, that person... he reminds me a bit of Nameless. He's always silently helping others without asking for anything in return, so I recommended him."
"Oh, that person resembles Nameless, and you're identical to Ishtar, so you recommended him?" Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly smiled faintly.
"Ehh?! No, it's not like that!"
Rin's cheeks turned red.
She never expected her little secret to be seen through so easily.
This Heroic Spirit was terrifying. No wonder she was called the fox demoness who seduced all beings!
"Young people these days." Tamamo-no-Mae chuckled warmly.
She didn't intend to say much more.
For a fox spirit like her, seeing through a tsundere little girl was child's play.
A popular and kind-hearted boy, huh?
Tamamo-no-Mae recalled the many documents Abe no Seimei had collected and began to take a mild interest in the boy.
Dozens of people had nominated him.
Not just Rin, Illya, and Julian—magical prodigies in their own right.
Even wealthy heirs and heiresses of major corporations had endorsed him. Even the student council president and secretary had all recommended him.
This wasn't just being well-liked—it bordered on a superpower!
Could it be that he had an EX-ranked ability—
[Social God Syndrome]?
Tamamo-no-Mae grew more curious about this so-called ordinary boy.
What an interesting little fellow.
After she left, Rin stood dazed for a moment before leaving the rooftop as well.
To this moment, she still couldn't understand what had just happened.
Could it be that her past life—Ishtar—had shown up, borrowed her body to find Nameless, and ended up mistaking Sanjiro for him just like she did?
No no no, that's impossible!
She had been secretly observing that guy for years and never sensed a trace of magical energy. He was just a regular human!
How could a god possibly seek out a normal teenager?
====================
Fuyuki Academy City, Administrative District.
Illya sat quietly on a sofa, slightly nervous.
The esteemed academy director had summoned her.
A Heroic Spirit was, after all, a Heroic Spirit.
Even the director of their academy was a lofty Heroic Spirit.
To ordinary people, or even mages, they were untouchable figures.
Click~
The office door opened, and a familiar figure walked in.
Golden ears on her head and three fluffy golden tails made her extremely eye-catching.
It was Tamamo-no-Mae.
Illya quickly stood up, only to tragically discover that her line of sight was aligned with—
—a rather overwhelming chest.
Too big.
Truly the fox demoness who seduced all beings—even just her figure was something to envy.
Tamamo-no-Mae smiled and said, "No need to be nervous. Please sit."
"Director... is there something you wanted from me?" Illya asked, growing more anxious.
"Nothing particularly serious. I just wanted to casually chat with the academy's little magic genius."
Tamamo-no-Mae smiled gently.
This little loli was the strongest magical prodigy in the entire Academy City. Others had, at most, a few dozen magic circuits.
But this girl?
Her entire body was composed of magic circuits! She was nothing short of a walking miracle!
What exactly had happened to this child?
Tamamo-no-Mae, Abe no Seimei, and the other Heroic Spirits had no answer.
However—
With the mysterious videos from [Alaya] surfacing, her instincts told her that everything would soon be revealed.
With a smiling face, she asked, "Why did you recommend that ordinary boy, Sanjiro?"
"Because... he's a good person," Illya answered instinctively.
Realizing that sounded too simple, she quickly added, "He's just like Nameless—always quietly helping others. And he's an amazing cook!"
"He's good at cooking?" Tamamo-no-Mae raised an eyebrow.
She herself had once aspired to be the perfect housewife and worked hard on her culinary skills.
People had even once described her as—
"Your meals are so full of love that your husband would become a chubby ball in just a month!"
That was probably the highest praise a chef could receive.
And this boy wanted to compare with her?
Could it be that, besides EX-level [Social], this kid also had EX-level [Cooking]?
That was clearly impossible!
Tamamo-no-Mae glanced down at the list of names on her tablet and said, "Aside from you, Rin, Julian, and others all nominated him. You all didn't discuss this beforehand?"
"N-No!" Illya shook her head vigorously.
Though, inwardly, she made a mental note of all those names.
Tamamo-no-Mae smiled warmly. "Since all of you recommended him, then as you wish."
An ordinary boy—let's see how he handles meeting a Heroic Spirit. He's probably going to freeze up in fear and fail spectacularly.
If you've got guts, go charm the Heroic Spirits. Make them fight over you!
"Thank you, Director!" Illya stood and bowed deeply in gratitude.
To be chosen as the representative to receive Heroic Spirits from among tens of thousands in Fuyuki Academy City was an extraordinary honor.
She hadn't actually expected to succeed.
After exiting the administration building—
Illya jogged away excitedly, wanting to share the good news as soon as possible.
Ding dong~
She rang the doorbell, her cheeks flushed from the run, her chest rising and falling with exertion.
Click~
The door opened.
Sanjiro, wearing a panda apron around his waist, greeted her in surprise, "Yo, Illya, you came early today. I've already made lunch—go wash your hands and let's eat."
"Sanjiro-nii, I've got amazing news to tell you!"
Illya took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
"Oh? Translate for me—what's 'amazing news' supposed to mean?" Sanjiro joked.
Illya had told him before that she'd be bringing him a surprise. He had been looking forward to it.
Now it seemed she was finally delivering on that promise.
This was a true ojou-sama—could it be a 3080T gas stove?
Illya looked up with her rosy cheeks, smiling sweetly.
"The surprise is—congratulations, you've been selected as the student representative to receive the Heroic Spirits!"