Shinji Matou at Your Service-Chapter 880 - : Summoning Dilemma

Rin Tohsaka has joined the battle.

This was expected.

Since the Holy Grail War system took shape and stabilized, the Three Founding Families of Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Matou have never missed a single war.

Unlike the homunculus-based Einzbern family and the Matou family under the control of Zouken, the head of the Tohsaka family always participates personally, without exception. This has become a duty and responsibility that the head of the Tohsaka family must fulfill, and Rin naturally won't shy away from it.

Although Rin's mother, Aoi, and Kariya Matou, who have experienced one Holy Grail War, both hope Rin stays away from danger and grows up healthy, Rin refuses their wishes.

Rin is inherently strong-willed, and competitive, and has always had her own opinions. Back then, she sneaks out in the middle of the night during the Holy Grail War to save her friend Kotone. Now, she is even less likely to be afraid.

While this may sound a bit disrespectful to her uncle Kariya, who has always treated her well, and Aoi, neither of them can influence Rin's decision. Even if she agrees on the surface, she would still carry out her will in secret. No one knows this better than Shinji, who has been at odds with her for ten years. So when Rin revealed her Command Seals in front of him, he wasn't surprised at all.

Similarly, Shinji's response of showing his left hand wouldn't surprise Rin either. Friends aren't the only ones who understand you well; enemies do too. Rin understands Shinji just as well as he understands her, and she is 100% certain that Shinji will participate in the war.

This mutual display of Command Seals was their way of declaring war, reassuring each other that despite being enemies, they would face each other in a fair, straightforward battle rather than resort to underhanded tactics.

From the moment the archery hall's door closed, Rin began considering how to defeat Shinji, and at the same time, Shinji started assessing Rin.

First, Rin is much stronger than in the original timeline, and much stronger at that. In the original timeline, she lost her father at seven, and apart from the occasional guidance from the tax-evading priest Kirei Kotomine, she was mostly self-taught.

Now, Tohsaka Tokiomi didn't die in the Holy Grail War; he managed to survive for five more years. In those last five years, Tokiomi passed on everything he had learned to his daughter, and for anything she couldn't grasp immediately, he left a detailed study plan, paving a clear path for Rin to become a top-tier magus.

Even more fortunate, after Tokiomi's death, the originator of the Tohsaka family's lineage, the Grand Magus Zelretch, came to Fuyuki City. Impressed by Rin's talent, he occasionally guided her, showing her a broader and higher horizon in the world of magecraft. And because Justeaze kept a close watch, Zelretch couldn't treat Rin like his other disciples, ensuring this budding talent wouldn't wither prematurely.

Rin has now inherited five generations of the Tohsaka family's knowledge and learned a great deal from Zelretch about magecraft beyond what her family taught. To be frank, even if her five ancestors resurrected and attacked her together, they might not be able to defeat her now. Even Sakura, who has always worked hard, wouldn't dare claim she's stronger than her sister.

However, Rin is still far from matching Shinji. No matter how strong Rin is, she remains within the limits of human potential, whereas Shinji's sights are set far beyond humanity—his opponents are Servants and Dead Apostles.

The problem is that the Servant, Rin is likely to summon next should be Gilgamesh, using the fossilized skin of the Ancient Serpent that Tokiomi left behind as a catalyst. Gilgamesh is a Servant who stands at the pinnacle of human history, whose Noble Phantasm Gate of Babylon itself is a symbol of humanity's evolution and limitless possibilities. Once serious, under the rules of the Holy Grail War, no other Servant would dare claim victory against him lightly.

With Sakura having summoned Medusa, there are only two summoning slots left—any more might trigger the Greater Grail's emergency mechanism, turning the situation into a chaotic war among parallel worlds, which would be counterproductive.

There are two catalysts secured—Artoria's scabbard and a fragment of Karna's chariot, both capable of contending with Gilgamesh.

Artoria's catalyst is waiting for Kiritsugu to return from Africa, which might take a few more days due to travel difficulties.

Shinji could summon Karna at any time, but something holds him back. It's not that Karna is a poor choice; on the contrary, he might be the best Servant—loyal, incredibly powerful, and with a great personality. However, no matter how excellent the Servant, Shinji can't help but feel that none could compare to Scathach. Is there no other way?

No, it's not time to give up yet. Ten years ago, he managed to summon her, and now, he is sure he can find a way again. Although the ancient manuscript of The Cattle Raid of Cooley was destroyed in a surge of mana, it wasn't the only artifact connected to her. There's still time, and with Justeaze monitoring the Greater Grail, there's no risk of someone else taking the slot because of his hesitation.

Sorry, Karna, you'll have to be the backup for now. Until then, I'll keep trying my best.

But how exactly should he try? And in what direction? Besides, it's not just his decision; he has to seek Justeaze's opinion—whether as the owner of the Greater Grail, the initiator of the Grail purification plan, or his lover.

Speaking of which, he is an unqualified boyfriend. It's bad enough that he's been running around everywhere, but even when he's back, he doesn't see her right away. Fortunately, Justeaze has a good temperament and doesn't mind; anyone else would have thrown a fit by now.

Thinking of all the girls entangled with him, Shinji sighed. Unknowingly, he's taken the path of a scumbag and has no idea how to return to the right track. Ugh, being handsome and strong does allow you to get away with anything—how could his charm be so irresistible?

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Ahem, okay, let's temporarily ignore this narcissist—

Uh, there's no need to ignore him. Shinji's narcissism is just a passing phase; he'll soon return to normal. This time, it happens faster because the class is about to start, and he needs to leave.

Not just the archery hall, but the school as well. He agreed to go to school with Sakura, but that doesn't mean he'll attend classes seriously. With mentors like Scathach and Chiron, not to mention Waver, the star professor of the Clock Tower, even the instructors in the El-Melloi Classroom could out-teach any teacher at Homurahara Academy. Attending classes here would only waste his time. Besides, Shinji doesn't even know the names of half his classmates, and going to class would only make things awkward, so it's better to skip.

He plans to stop by the principal's office and chat with the teachers, then sneak off, pretending to study on his own and return at noon to have lunch with Sakura.