Reborn with Steve Stand

After leaving the church, everyone ultimately returned to Shirou Emiya's home.

This was understandable since, despite talking about finding a place to stay, each person in the group had a rather unique status.

Rin Tohsaka and Shirou Emiya were still high school students, which meant they were minors and obviously couldn't check into a hotel. As for Sakura Matou, she was officially listed as deceased in police records after the Matou family incident, making her a ghost in the system.

Then there was Black Saber and Fang Mo, who were even more out of place—neither of them even belonged to this world.

The only bit of good luck was that Fujimura Taiga hadn't returned yet, saving them from a lot of awkward explanations. With that relief, the group began discussing their next plan of action.

It's worth noting that while Shirou Emiya had lost his qualification as a Master, he still didn't want to withdraw from the Holy Grail War.

"My dream is to become a hero of justice," Shirou declared with determination. "Tohsaka-san, I can't just quit. Even if I've lost my Servant, I can still keep fighting."

"But…" Rin frowned slightly. "You've seen how dangerous the Holy Grail War is, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

Shirou nodded, then earnestly continued, "But this whole ritual, where we fight and kill each other, is just wrong. Even if something like the Holy Grail exists, it shouldn't be built on the suffering of others. Tohsaka-san, you feel the same way, don't you?"

"Huh?"

Rin was taken aback.

"I want to make it to the end," Shirou said sincerely, "and then, together, we can end this absurd war."

To be honest, Rin was surprised by Shirou's words.

His perspective aligned closely with her own feelings. Rin, too, believed the Holy Grail War was wrong and needed to be ended, especially since her own father had died in it.

But she couldn't bring herself to say anything at that moment.

After all, her own Archer was still waiting to use the Holy Grail to restore his physical form. And Black Saber wanted to save her country. If she agreed with Shirou now, it could lead to an internal conflict.

And Archer, her own chaotic servant, was not someone to be trifled with.

He was already planning some grand speech about burning Fuyuki City to the ground…

Shirou, of course, was unaware of any of this. He clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please, Tohsaka!"

"I…"

"Alright."

Before Rin could respond, Black Saber suddenly spoke up, "If you want to continue, Shirou, then handle logistics. Leave the fighting to Archer and me."

"Huh?"

Shirou blinked in surprise. "Logistics…? You mean…?"

"Cooking," Black Saber replied bluntly.

"Yeah, we haven't had breakfast today," Fang Mo chimed in. "Change it up this time. Instead of cooking yourself, go find me a century-old restaurant in Hiroshima."

"…"

Shirou was left speechless. Where on earth would he find a century-old restaurant in Hiroshima?

"Ahem, back to the matter at hand," Rin cut in, trying to steer the conversation back to strategy. "We have three enemies still in the shadows—Caster and Assassin, whose identities remain unknown; Kirei Kotomine, who's in hiding; and the Servant called Gilgamesh. No matter what, we need to gather more information about them."

"Speaking of clues," Sakura Matou said, "couldn't the recent serial killer incidents be their doing?"

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"Yes, I thought the same thing," Rin nodded.

"Adolf-san, don't you have any intel on this?" Shirou turned to Fang Mo. "I remember your information network being pretty impressive. If we could locate their hideout, we should be able to handle them easily, right?"

"…"

Sakura suddenly stiffened.

She remembered Fang Mo mentioning that Caster was hiding in Ryūdō Temple, meaning he already had the information but had chosen not to reveal it.

Glancing at Fang Mo, she realized this was a test. He was testing her.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't get any new info," Fang Mo replied casually. "I've been too focused on investigating Kirei Kotomine, the overseer, and didn't pay attention to the others."

"I see."

Shirou nodded, not suspecting anything. In his mind, no one could have information on everything.

"Archer," Rin turned to Fang Mo, "our next target is them. Focus your efforts on investigating the serial killer incidents instead of other things for now."

"Alright," Fang Mo agreed without objection.

"Of course, we'll be investigating too," Rin added. "These killings have only started recently with this Holy Grail War, but considering the previous Archer, I suspect there have been other victims over the past decade."

"What?!"

Shirou visibly flinched in shock.

"They're attacking ordinary people to convert their life force into magical energy," Rin explained. "For Servants, magical energy is crucial. Without it, they would disappear. You've seen this with Saber, haven't you?"

"So other Servants are afraid of vanishing too?"

Shirou frowned. "I thought I was the only inexperienced Master in the war…"

"That may be true, but there are other factors," Rin continued seriously. "Adequate magical energy can enhance a Servant's attributes. For Caster, it's even more essential."

"How could they do something so terrible just to get stronger?!"

Shirou clenched his fists in anger.

"Caster is trying to get stronger, but the previous Archer is likely doing it just to stay alive," Rin said thoughtfully. "He might have won the last Holy Grail War, but once the war ended, his Command Seals disappeared, meaning Kirei Kotomine couldn't supply him with magical energy anymore."

"So for the past ten years, he's been sustaining himself by consuming people's life force," Shirou said, his voice tense. "And Kirei Kotomine, as the overseer, has been covering it up."

"Exactly."

Rin nodded. "That's why I think finding that Archer should be our priority. He's severely injured now and will probably attack more people to heal himself. We might be able to track him down. Plus, he's incredibly strong, so we need to eliminate him first."

Of course, Rin had personal reasons for this.

She wasn't familiar with Caster, but the previous Archer was different. He had been her father's Servant, and she had many questions for him—such as what role he played when Kirei killed her father.

"Damn it! We have to stop him!" Shirou said through gritted teeth.

"Keep an eye on the news," Rin advised. "If anything suspicious comes up, it might lead us to him. Shirou, if you have free time, you could also look through old case files to see if there's a pattern."

"Wait, hold on."

At this point, Fang Mo, who had been quiet, couldn't help but speak up. "Why don't you just check online?"

"Check… online?"

Rin blinked, confused.

Though she was a capable and intelligent young woman, she had almost no knowledge of computers or technology. All her talents were focused on magic, leaving her clueless in the digital world.

"What's with that look?" Fang Mo laughed. "Don't tell me you're a tech newbie? Want me to take you to the electronics store? I'd love to see some scammer try to rip you off."

"You, you shut up!" Rin's face flushed red, but she kept up a brave front. "I'm just not interested, that's all. If I wanted to learn, I could do it in no time!"

"Sure, sure. I'll buy us two computers, and we'll play some Red Alert together. You can play as the Soviets, and I'll play as the Germans…"

"Now is not the time for games!" Rin protested, exasperated. "If you have that much energy, focus it on investigating our enemies. You can play all you want after you get the Holy Grail."

"Fair enough."

Fang Mo grinned. "When the time comes, I'll show you the wonders of the Information Age."

"The Information Age? What's that?"

Rin frowned, unfamiliar with the term.

"It's heaven," Fang Mo said with a dreamy expression. "The internet is just too beautiful, especially in its early days. Sure, the connection was slow, and the hardware was clunky, but the online community back then? Truly amazing. It was a golden era full of interesting, fresh souls."

"Now that you mention computers," Shirou spoke up, "I think I know a little. Maybe I could help?"

"Then you'll be in charge of gathering information."

Rin immediately accepted his offer. "As for me, I'll take Archer and see if we can get lucky."

"Got it."

Shirou nodded in agreement.

"Alright, you guys handle that," Fang Mo yawned lazily. "I'll stay out of your way and catch up on some sleep."

"Huh? Sleep?"

Rin looked at him in surprise. "Didn't you just wake up?"

"Fighting is exhausting," Fang Mo said with a helpless expression. "Unless you want to replenish my mana? That works too. I wouldn't mind—after all, you're still quite charming, Rin. How about we head inside…"

"You… you… just go to sleep!"

Rin's face turned bright red as she hurriedly cut him off. "Thanks for your hard work. I'll call you if we need anything!"

"Alright, got it."

Without further comment, Fang Mo turned and headed toward his room.

But instead of lying down, Fang Mo transported himself back to the Dimensional Prison.

While the others were still clueless, Fang Mo knew full well that he wasn't really Archer.

The real Archer had been kicked into the Dimensional Prison by Fang Mo at the very start of the war.

Technically, Fang Mo didn't need to worry about him. Once the war ended, Archer would automatically return to the Throne of Heroes. But letting things play out like that would be too boring.

Besides, after the recent battles, Fang Mo had a few theories he wanted to test on Archer.

With that thought in mind, Fang Mo located the real Archer in the Dimensional Prison. However, the moment they crossed paths, Archer immediately took off running, trying to avoid him.

"…Huh?"

Fang Mo blinked in confusion.

Archer was running frantically, drenched in sweat, yet he showed no signs of stopping.

"What the hell's wrong with you?"

Fang Mo teleported in front of him and kindly reminded him, "This is the Dimensional Prison. You can't run out of here on foot."

"Who… who are you?"

Startled by the sudden appearance, Archer's face showed his surprise.

"Oh, I'm Fang—"

Fang Mo began to answer, but before he could finish, Archer abruptly veered to the side and continued running.

"???"

Fang Mo stood there, dumbfounded. Was this guy really that desperate?

Seeing Archer's determination, Fang Mo quickly caught up with him. This time, instead of asking more questions, he spoke while running alongside him: "Hey, wanna buy a cheat?"

"…Who are you!?"

Archer, baffled by the bizarre offer, finally shouted, "You're the one who trapped me here, aren't you? Let me out now!"

"Only if you stop running and chat with me for a bit."

Fang Mo responded casually. "By the way, did you pick up Saber's stray ahoge when it fell off? You don't seem like an Archer to me… More like Commander Orga. Come on, can't you just stop running?"

"I can't!"

Archer yelled in frustration, "I literally can't stop!"

"What's going on?"

Fang Mo spread his hands in confusion. "Should I sing *The Flower of Hope* to help you out?"

"It's the Command Seal!" Archer shouted back. "What the hell did you do to Rin? Did you make her use a Command Seal to force me to keep running!?"

"Hold on, let me check."

Realizing something was off, Fang Mo activated his dimensional powers to examine Archer's situation.

"Tell me who you are first!"

Archer demanded again, growing increasingly agitated.

"Come on, we're on the same side," Fang Mo replied offhandedly while analyzing Archer's condition.

"Huh?"

Archer was bewildered. "Same side? What are you talking about?"

"You like Sakura Matou, don't you? I like her too, so that makes us comrades, right?" Fang Mo said with a grin, snapping his fingers. "Alright, stop running."

With a flash of light, the curse was lifted, and Archer finally came to a halt. But as he stood there catching his breath, his expression grew even more puzzled. He stared intently at Fang Mo, trying to make sense of the situation.

Fang Mo stood still, letting Archer scrutinize him.

After all, Archer's true identity was a future version of Shirou Emiya. A closer look should be enough for him to recognize Fang Mo.

However, what Fang Mo hadn't expected was Archer's response.

After several long moments of staring, Archer furrowed his brow in suspicion. "No… I don't recognize you…"

"…Huh?"