Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 237: [] One Must Always Stay Positive

The wind was strong today.

Clouds drifted across the sky, and a silver crescent moon hung near the horizon.

Bathed in the moonlight that spilled across the heavens and earth, a girl dressed in red stood.

After fixing her gaze on me with eyes like sapphires, she spoke solemnly:

"Listen carefully, because what I'm about to say is very important."

"From now on, you will become a magical girl and collect the [Class Cards]."

Her voice was resolute as she declared this.

"———"

No sound escaped my lips.

Too much had happened at once, and my mind couldn't keep up.

But one thing was crystal clear to me.

It seemed I had been dragged into something incredibly troublesome.

***

Thunk!

"Ow!" With a pained cry, Illya, who had been slumped over her desk, jolted awake, clutching the back of her head as she looked up.

"Hmph! Don't you dare nap so brazenly during class!" The English homeroom teacher, Taiga Fujimura—also famously known as the "Tiger of Fuyuki"—stood before Illya, hands on her hips, radiating authority.

"Sorry..." Illya apologized pitifully, drawing laughter from her classmates and filling the classroom with a lively atmosphere.

Satisfied with Illya's obedient apology, the Tiger of Fuyuki let her off and continued the lesson. Illya, now seated properly, fought back her drowsiness and focused on the lecture.

Honestly, it wasn't entirely Illya's fault for dozing off in class. After all, the night before, she had been tricked by Ruby into transforming into a magical girl, then bombarded with a mountain of knowledge by Ruby's former owner, Rin.

Due to Sakatsuki's memory-erasing magecraft and Ruby's (reluctant) secrecy, Illya remained unaware of the disaster that had unfolded in the bathroom just minutes earlier. Despite this, Ruby had still managed to verify Illya's credentials and forcibly bound her as its new master.

Just as Illya transformed into a magical girl and ran outside "stark naked," she was confronted by Ruby's original owner, Rin Tohsaka—whom Ruby referred to as a "middle-aged magical girl"—who had tracked the magical energy to her.

After a tense and heated exchange, Rin had no choice but to acknowledge the bond between Illya and Ruby. She followed Illya back to her room and briefly explained the matter of the Class Cards.

"Let me cut to the chase. We're here in this city under the Clock Tower's orders to retrieve these cards."

"I see. So, Rin-nee is like a secret bomb disposal unit that quietly removes explosives planted around the city, right?"

"...That's a fresh analogy. Annoyingly, you're not far off."

"Well, something like that. This idiot wand is the key tool for retrieving the Class Cards. But since it's chosen you as its master now, at least until I can talk some sense into it, you'll have to help me collect them—so brace yourself."

"Huh... Whaaat?!"

Ding-dong, ding-dong...

The school bell rang, snapping Illya out of her daze.

"Ugh!" She clutched her head and sighed helplessly.

People say girls have countless worries, but hers were just plain bizarre.

Honestly, all she'd wanted in the first place was love magic!

Lunchtime arrived, and Illya and her friends pushed their desks together, unpacking their lunchboxes.

"Illya actually dozing off in class? That's rare. Didn't get enough sleep?"

"Mm... I was thinking about some things last night."

"Thinking about things?"

"Something bothering you?"

"Forget that—let's play dodgeball after eating!"

"Honestly, I envy how carefree you are."

"No, it's not that I'm troubled or anything. It's just... reality is moving faster than my thoughts can keep up. Or maybe reality is more sudden than anime."

"Huh... I don't really get it, but sounds rough."

"Yeah." Illya smiled.

A magical girl, huh?

As the thought crossed her mind, she recalled the adorable, frilly outfit she'd transformed into the night before, as well as the strange energy flowing through her body.

I haven't fully grasped it yet, but it seems I've really been swept up in something extraordinary.

Still... it's kind of exciting, in a way.

With a mix of nervousness and anticipation, Illya finally made it through the school day. While her friends were still chatting and laughing, she had already packed her bag and was sprinting downstairs.

"Ugh, finally out of school?" Ruby poked its head out from inside the bag where it had been hiding. "Being stuck in here all day was so boring."

"Ahaha, sorry about that." Illya leaped down the stairs, adjusting her hat as she dashed toward the shoe lockers.

"Hey, Ruby, teach me how to use magic."

"Hmm, sure. But why the sudden interest, Illya? You were so against it last night."

"Well, since I've got this chance, I might as well enjoy it. After all, one must always stay positive, right?"

With those words, Illya opened her shoe locker.

***

"Ahh, indeed. One must always stay positive."

In a room labeled "Nurse's Office," a white-haired, golden-eyed boy watched the scene unfold through a magical projection with great interest.

No longer wearing his dull priestly robes, he now sported a white lab coat. The oversized garment draped over his small frame gave him an almost comically serious air. "In the end, she couldn't escape the 'true fragrance' law, could she, Illya-chan?"

"Kids are so full of energy," Caren remarked dispassionately, seated in a chair while wearing a similarly styled lab coat adorned with a lace jabot (a frilled collar).

Since Sakatsuki had already reported Illya's acquisition of the wand to the Church, their surveillance target had naturally shifted from Rin Tohsaka to Illya herself, and their base of operations had moved to the nurse's office.

"A perfectly ordinary elementary schooler suddenly gets her hands on a fantastical magic wand and the chance to become a magical girl—how could she not be thrilled?"

"Sounds like you're a little envious."

"I am, but not because of the magical girl thing. What I envy is the sheer joy a child feels when encountering something new. I used to have memories like that too, but my emotions no longer respond to them."

Leaning back in his chair, Sakatsuki watched Illya's running figure and smiled wryly.

"I still remember being delighted by a candy box full of chocolates, feeling at ease listening to music at a wedding, or experiencing joy when sunlight shone over distant mountains... But now, those precious emotions feel as dry as words printed on an A4 sheet."

"Maybe the longer people live, the more mature they become, the better they get at hiding their emotions... But if you rot, you'll only attract flies. Nothing more will come of it."

"Is that why you maintain this form?" Caren glanced at Sakatsuki's childlike appearance, her tone implying deeper meaning. "Trying to revisit something from the past?"

"No... Well, maybe subconsciously, that's part of it. But mostly, this form has higher growth potential. Heh... Maybe every hot-blooded youth shouting about bonds and love eventually turns into a boring adult who only cares about gains and losses."

Ding!

The electric kettle beside them let out a chime, its steam carrying the rich aroma of porridge that overpowered the sterile scent of disinfectant in the nurse's office.

"Oh, the porridge is ready." Sakatsuki flicked his fingers, and Danzou materialized like a ghost, lifting the kettle to pour out the carefully prepared medicinal congee. She handed a bowl to Caren.

"Drink up. Don't worry, I added plenty of brown sugar for someone's picky palate."

"Tch!" Caren made a face but obediently downed the porridge.

It wasn't a matter of taste—she just felt instinctively uncomfortable with Sakatsuki's attentiveness. The unfamiliarity of being cared for left her almost desperate to flee.

In her entire life, no one had ever done something like this for her.

But there was no resisting Sakatsuki's will, not with Danzou silently watching from the sidelines.

Meanwhile, Sakatsuki observed the magical screen where Illya, heart pounding and hands trembling, reached for an envelope in her shoe locker. Watching her face turn beet red, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Can't wait to see her reaction when she realizes it's Rin's threatening letter. Ahh, no matter what happens, one must always stay positive, right, Illya~?"

***

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