Shinji Matou at Your Service

Shinji wasn't surprised that Sakura made such a choice.

Due to his intervention, she never experienced the dark and unbearable events of her past. Her family's education had been healthy and positive. Although the harshness of the magical world prevented her from being completely pure, her worldview was still relatively upright. The so-called dark Sakura or Blackened Sakura could only possibly emerge if someone killed Shinji right in front of her.

With this version of Sakura, she wouldn't ignore someone on the verge of death, even if that person was a Servant or a potential enemy. Shinji himself also didn't want Caster to perish just like that. Though she was a witch who had committed many dark and cruel deeds, those actions were due to the influence of the Eros Arrow. Her true nature wasn't evil, and the fact that she destroyed the workshop and freed the trafficked women and children was proof of that.

Moreover, this time, Fuyuki no longer had Kuzuki Souichirou—the man who had both redeemed her and had been redeemed by her. Somebody had to do something for her now. Compared to his overthinking, Sakura's simple and kind nature made her the better candidate to save Caster.

That's why Shinji took on the responsibility of cleaning up the aftermath, assigning the task of reconnaissance and tracking to Sakura, along with the final choice. Whatever decision she made, he was prepared to accept it.

And Sakura didn't disappoint him. In the end, she brought back Medea—the pitiful woman—carrying her home, and the four of them returned to the Matou mansion together.

This led to the scene where Kirie opened the door and, misunderstanding the situation, questioned them.

After Sakura's explanation, both Fujino and Kirie were even more bewildered. Going out and bringing back a woman was already surprising enough, but to bring back a Servant? That was almost too much of a coincidence.

"Whether it's a coincidence or not, Sakura has brought her back. We can't just toss her out now. Don't just stand around—let's focus on saving her."

At Shinji's words, everyone sprang into action. Despite their confusion, they had saved her, and so they were committed to seeing it through. As for how to deal with this mysterious Servant, they would decide after she regained consciousness and they could gauge her attitude.

Perhaps it was due to the abundance of magical energy in the Matou household, or maybe Sakura's healing rune was exceptionally effective, but within a few minutes of lying in bed, Caster woke up.

"Ugh, I'm not dead yet? Where is this...?"

Her initial reaction was normal, but when she saw the tall woman standing by the bedside, her expression changed instantly, and her hand instinctively reached out from under the blanket.

"A Servant—!!!"

As she made this motion, magical energy in the room began converging toward her fingertips at an alarming speed. Although she had lost her Master and could disappear at any moment, as long as she still existed and could move, she could cast spells. As she had said, magic for her was as easy as giving a command—it didn't even require her magical energy.

Her reaction was quick, but Medusa's was no slower. Medusa's task was to keep an eye on Caster to prevent any accidents, and now that an accident had occurred, she didn't hesitate. She clenched her fist and swung it toward Caster.

Though Medusa was no longer in her monstrous form, she still retained some of her monstrous traits. One of those traits was her immense strength.

Her natural physical strength was already rated at A, and on top of that, she possessed a skill called Monstrous Strength, which allowed her to temporarily boost her power even further. Although she wasn't going all-out, the force behind her punch was terrifying. It could easily severely injure the weakened Caster, and it wasn't impossible that it could kill her outright.

Fortunately, Sakura, who was also on guard, stopped the battle between the two Servants in time. The magical energy Caster had gathered was dispersed by a stronger force before it could be converted into a destructive spell. Meanwhile, Sakura skillfully redirected Medusa's punch, guiding it away before it could land.

"Rider, calm down. Caster, please don't panic. We mean you no harm."

"Exactly. If we meant you harm, we wouldn't have saved you in the first place. We could've just left you when you were unconscious, or worse, killed you," Kirie chimed in while tidying up some items nearby.

Sakura continued, "We don't know what happened to you, but if you're willing, could you tell us?"

"Oh, you're awake? Would you like something to eat?"

Shinji appeared at the door at just the right moment, holding a tray of food.

"The tea is also ready," Fujino said, following behind Shinji with a tea tray in hand.

"Oooh, it smells so good. I'll have a cup, extra sugar and milk!"

Kirie darted over to Fujino's side.

"Is it just me, or is Kirie adding more and more sugar?"

Shinji whispered to Fujino as he watched Kirie drop sugar cubes into her tea one after another.

"It's not just you. She's adding more," Fujino whispered back.

"Be careful eating so many sweets at night—you might gain weight," Shinji warned.

"Hmph, I wish I could gain weight. No matter how much I eat, I never do," Kirie said with a pout, uttering words that would make at least 70% of the world's women jealous. She then casually grabbed a piece of chocolate from Shinji's tray, and after a moment, took another.

"Slow down, save some for Caster."

Shinji quickly walked over to the bed and offered Caster one of the plates.

"Would you like some? Although Servants don't need to eat, you've lost your source of magical energy. Eating something might help you recover a bit, and it'll lift your spirits. I've always believed that good food can improve one's mood."

"This…"

Caster hesitated, instinctively raising her hand and moving slightly near her shoulders. The motion immediately put Medusa on alert, though nothing happened.

"Your cloak is over there. We had to remove it to treat you," Shinji explained.

Knowing her well, Shinji understood that she was trying to put on her hood to hide her face—a face that, despite its magical aura, looked more like that of a simple housewife. It was said that ever since Jason had hurt her, she had become more and more inclined to hide her face.

"Don't worry, my sister Sakura was the one who treated you. Beside her is her Servant, Rider. That's Kirie over there, who made the bed you're sleeping in. And that's Fujino, who made the tea. I'm Shinji Matou. I made the snacks—want to try them?"

Perhaps moved by the honesty of this group of young men and women, Caster stopped hesitating, picked up a piece of chocolate, and placed it between her slightly purple lips. A few seconds later, she murmured, "...Delicious."

"If you like it, have more. There's also tea—would you prefer black tea or milk tea? I recommend the milk tea; it's more energizing."

"...Alright."

"Fujino."

"On it."

…

And so, under the sweet treat offensive launched by Shinji and the others, Caster gradually let down her guard. By the time Fujino poured her a second cup of tea, Caster finally asked the question that had been on her mind.

"Why did you save me?"

PS: In Fate/Stay Night, Sakura's Rider has a Strength rating of B. In this timeline, due to Sakura's increased magical power, Rider's stats have been further enhanced.