TYPE-MOON Universe, Earth, Japan, Fuyuki City.
After the new Lesser Grail was completed, Illyasviel, Sella, Leysritt, and Zelretch stayed for a little bit longer. Then, they all bid their farewells. And while Zelretch simply opened a portal back to his office in the Clock Tower, Saber escorted Illyasviel and her entourage back to the Einzbern Mansion.
Though, Tatsuo found himself slightly annoyed when Zelretch, just before stepping into his portal, said he would be back for breakfast. But since there was nothing he could do about it, he decided he would just let it go.
Naturally, when everyone else left, Tatsuo and Elicia were left in the suite alone. And Tatsuo, after once again seeing Elicia's lost and slightly betrayed look, only snorted and looked away.
["Seriously, what did you do this time?"] Scylla asked in an exasperated tone. ["You must have said something without thinking again. *Sigh* I must be losing my touch. I don't even know when you could have said something."]
'Scylla, seriously, I don't' know what's going on this time.' Elicia replied internally.
["Then, you should ask."] Scylla replied sharply. ["And you should apologize, too."]
'*Sigh* You're right.' Elicia replied.
Next, Elicia took a fortifying breath. Then, she walked over to the couch Tatsuo was sitting on with his eyes closed and took a seat next to him.
"Hey, Tatsuo." Elicia said softly. "I'm not sure what I did to make you so angry, but I'm sorry."
In response, Tatsuo's eyebrows twitched violently. The fact that Elicia could say something like that really bothered him. However, he also knew that it was not such a big deal that he should lose his temper over it.
So, after a fortifying breath of his own, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at Elicia. However, when he saw the genuinely confuse and remorseful expression on her face, his words got caught in his throat.
"You really… don't know what you did?" Tatsuo asked, sounding almost as confused as Elicia looked.
Elicia only shook her head vigorously in response.
"Then, you don't think that telling Saber not to let me drive the Phantom was okay?" Tatsuo asked, his voice getting slightly harsher as he did so.
"Huh?" Elicia intoned confusedly as her eyes widened in surprise.
A moment later, her mind replayed the telepathic conversation she had with Saber the night before.
{"Elicia, we'll be coming back with Illyasviel and her maids shortly."} Saber said, reporting the situation.
{"Good job."} Elicia replied. {"Sop, I guess I should expect you back in about an hour, right?"}
{"No, we'll be traveling by car."} Saber replied. {"Oh, it looks like Assassin found a car that he likes."}
{"Ooh! What kind of car is it?"} Elicia asked excitedly.
{"I'm not sure, but it's quite a nice vehicle."} Saber said.
At that point, Sella had returned with the key to the Phantom and handed it to Illyasviel.
{"Oh, by the way, do you know if Assassin has the Riding Skill?"} Saber asked.
Elicia remembered thinking that the question was pretty random at the time. But now that she had new context for the conversation, Elicia finally understood what it was that made Tatsuo so upset with her.
"Wait! I never told her to not let you drive." Elicia exclaimed after she was able to put the pieces together. "I only told her you didn't have the Riding Skill. After that, she said, 'I understand. Well, we'll be there soon,' and the conversation ended."
Hearing that, Tatsuo stared into Elicia's eyes, looking for any signs of deception. And the longer he looked, the more he realized that she was telling the truth. And as he did, his upper lip started to twitch uncontrollably.
"I see." Tatsuo said as he uncrossed his legs and stood up.
"Huh? What are you doing, Tatsuo?" Elicia asked, confused by Tatsuo's actions.
"*Sigh* I'm going to the kitchen to make you a proper dinner." Tatsuo replied. "And while I do that, I'll think about how I should punish that lying King of Knights. Even if her lie was only one of omission, she still needs to pay for deceiving me. Oh, and I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."
Though she felt a little sorry for Saber when she heard that, Elicia could not help but smile at the fact she was about to get a, what she considered, real meal tonight.
Like that, the rest of the evening passed peacefully. Though, Tatsuo did leave shortly after he finished cooking for Elicia to make a trip to a convenience store. Then, about an hour after that, Saber returned from dropping off Illyasviel, Sella, and Leysritt. However, she had to return on foot because she was by herself.
The next morning, Tatsuo ended his meditation and started cooking breakfast. And the smell naturally woke up Elicia, who had stayed up relatively late working on the clothes for Zelretch, Illyasviel, Sella, and Leysritt. Luckily, she was able to finish them. So, she would not have to spend any more of her time making clothes before the Holy Grail War ended.
Around the same time, Zelretch appeared in the living room through a portal with a happy and expectant smile on his face.
"Good morning, everyone." Zelretch said in a lively tone. "So, what's on the menu this morning?"
"Steak and cheese omelet with sour cream and salsa on the side." Tatsuo replied as he carried a tray with three plates, each with an omelet on it, into the dining room.
"Oh, sounds great." Zelretch said while rubbing his hands together excitedly as he made his way over to the table.
Quickly, Elicia and Saber joined Zelretch at the table. Then, Tatsuo put down plates in front of his seat, Zelretch, and Elicia. However, he had nothing for Saber it seemed.
Saber, seeing this, looked at Tatsuo like an abandoned puppy.
"Don't worry, I've got something for you, too." Tatsuo said with a bright smile. Just give me a minute."
Sighing in relief, Saber turned to look in the direction of the kitchen, looking forward to seeing a plate piled high with food. However, when she saw Tatsuo return with a cardboard box, she was thoroughly confused.
"Um… What is that?" Saber asked while pointing one of her slender fingers at the box in Tatsuo's hands.
"Oh, these? These are breakfast bars." Tatsuo replied with a wide, bright smile on his face. "They have everything you need to get through the day. They're perfectly balanced in terms of nutrition. So, you'll have all the energy you need to tackle the day."
Seeing the completely dumbfounded expression on Saber's face was cathartic for Tatsuo. Meanwhile, Zelretch wore a confused expression on his face as he picked up his fork and knife to start eating. As for Elicia, she both felt pity and a feeling of retribution for Saber's plight.
'You kind of deserve this, Saber.' Elicia thought to herself. 'Now that I think about it, you knew why Tatsuo was so mad at me last night when I think about the look on your face while you were eating. But instead of fessing up, you just let me take the blame.'
With that, breakfast passed without issue. Though, Saber's slightly lifeless look while she ate the entire value pack-sized box of breakfast bars even made Tatsuo feel a little bad for her. But as someone who had been trained as a cold-blooded assassin, he pushed down his emotions and continued with his meal.
After breakfast, Zelretch once again said his goodbyes. He also let them know that he would not be around for lunch or dinner, something about making arrangements for something. But he did mention that he would be back in the morning for another breakfast.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Elicia, and Saber sat together in the suite's living room to discuss their next moves for the Holy Grail War.
"I think it's about time we brought this Grail War to an end." Elicia said calmly before taking a sip from a glass of water. "Other than the two of you, there are only two Servants left."
"So, you wanna have the battles tonight?" Tatsuo asked casually. "That's fine with me."
"I have no issue with it either." Saber said. "The question is, will be fight both battles two-on-one? Or will we face our foes separately."
It was clear to both Tatsuo and Elicia when they saw the expression on her face that Saber would rather choose the latter option. Luckily, because Tatsuo and Elicia were ready to go home, they were inclined to do the same, as well. That way, if the two battles did not take too long, they would be able to have the final battle the same night, too.
"Like I said, it's about time we brought this Grail War to an end." Elicia reiterated with a smile. "And to do that, we'll do our best to take out both Rider and Archer at the same time."
"And when that's done, we'll be able to have our fight, too." Tatsuo said with a battle hungry smile. "That fight in the storage room at Emiya's place was too boring. But now that you've got a proper master, I'm looking forward to seeing just how good you are, King of Knights."
Sighing in relief that she would not have to engage in any dishonorable battles, Saber turned her attention to Tatsuo, who was still looking at her with a battle hungry smile. However, there was a bit of resentment in her gaze when she looked at him.
'I know I should have come clean about who it was that chose to not let you drive back then.' Saber thought to herself while maintaining eye contact with Tatsuo. 'But this morning… That was too much. Forcing me to watch everyone enjoy a sumptuous meal while I ate such tasteless rations is cruel and unusual. And for that, I will make you pay, Assassin.'
"I await our battle." Saber replied in a steely tone. "Provided that you survive your first battle of the evening."
"I just hope you don't disappoint me like last time, Saber." Tatsuo shot back.
With that, Elicia could feel the two's auras clashing in the middle of their positions. And the only thing she could do was shake her head.
"Anyway, I think I'll go with Saber to challenge Rider." Elicia said, cutting through the tension between her Servants.
Hearing that, Saber turned to look at Elicia. Though, it was clear that she did not think that Elicia did not trust her to defeat Rider. Instead, she simply wanted to hear the reasoning behind such a decision.
"Although Rider is strong, I don't think you'll have any issue defeating her, Saber." Elicia continued. "But Sakura's Magecraft is the real issue. As we saw the other night, if Rider, who is clearly Medusa, takes off her blindfold, Sakura might be able to pull you into her shadows."
Both Tatsuo and Saber nodded in agreement with Elicia's assessment. Saber then gestured for Elicia to continue.
"And if they try the same trick, I'll be there to put an end to that." Elicia continued. "And with my Thread Magecraft, I'll be able to stop her without hurting her."
"Understood." Saber replied with an understanding nod.
"And if I know you as well as I think I do, you're gonna call Sakura and let her know when and where you'd like to have this fight, right?" Tatsuo asked.
"That's right." Elicia replied with a smile. "She should be in school right now. So, calling her will have to wait a few hours."
"But do you think she'll accept the duel challenge on such short notice?" Saber asked curiously.
"That's why I told them about it back when we helped deal with Berserker." Tatsuo pointed out. "This way, they won't be completely unprepared."
"I see." Saber replied with another nod of understanding.
Elicia then turned to Tatsuo.
"And while we're doing that, you take out Archer." Elicia said. "I don't' care how you doit. A fight head on or an assassination. Just don't hurt Rin. If you did, Sakura would be sad."
"I had no intention to." Tatsuo replied casually. "But I think I'll have a real fight with Archer. He's pretty skilled at both close and long range. So, I might be able to push my own skills to the next level."
'Plus, I plan to push him to the point he has to use [Unlimited Blade Works].' Tatsuo thought to himself with a smile on his face. 'Then, I'll copy all the weapons he's copied over the years. And when I'm done, my arsenal will be complete.'
"Like I said, it doesn't matter how you decide to handle it." Elicia said. "Just don't take too long. Because as soon as we're down to only two Servants, the Greater Grail will manifest. And we don't wanna leave it visible for too long. Otherwise some normal people might see it. And that would just be an extra hassle."
"Got it." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "I know the importance of mission deadlines. So, I won't drag it out for too long."
"Good." Elicia said with a smile. "Then, let's make our preparations. We move out just after sunset."
Like that, the rest of the day passed without much of anything happening. Though, Elicia did make sure to call Sakura after the school day ended. And just as expected, Sakura accepted the duel.
The location for the duel was decided to be at the Harber in the Shinto District. In the middle of the night, there should not be anyone in the area who could possibly be caught up in the battle. On top of that, Tatsuo would be setting up an [Anti-Recognition Bounded Field] that would keep regular people away from the area.
As for Tatsuo's battle with Archer, he knew that as soon as the battle between Saber and Rider began, it would draw Archer and Rin to investigate. And he would be waiting for them along the way.